A dominant title reign and a record-setting win streak have Merab Dvalishvili knocking on history’s door—and Henry Cejudo believes he’s ready to surpass legends.
Henry Cejudo Sees P4P Supremacy on the Horizon for Merab Dvalishvili
As Dvalishvili dismantled Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, Cejudo offered a bold assessment of his former opponent’s rise. Cejudo, who was outclassed by Dvalishvili at UFC 298, is uniquely qualified to evaluate the reigning bantamweight champion’s trajectory—and he didn’t hold back.
According to the former two-division champion, “The Machine” is on the verge of something historic, something even Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev haven’t accomplished: completely cleaning out a stacked division.
“Jones hasn’t gone through everybody in the heavyweight division, Islam hasn’t gone through everybody in the lightweight division,” Cejudo said. “But Merab is about to go through everybody in the division and there’s no denying it. If Merab beats Cory Sandhagen, he not only deserves pound-for-pound No. 1 but also the Fighter of the Year 2025.”
Cejudo’s comments speak to the magnitude of Dvalishvili’s current win streak, now 13 fights long, and his recent resume, highlighted by back-to-back wins over Umar Nurmagomedov and O’Malley.
Henry Cejudo Believes Merab Is About to Do What Jones and Islam Couldn’t 😲
“Jones hasn’t gone through everybody in the heavyweight division, Islam hasn’t gone through everybody in the lightweight division, but Merab is about to go through everybody in the division and there’s… pic.twitter.com/0CztxbzgQY
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 9, 2025
Cory Sandhagen Looms as the Next Challenge
Following his latest title defense at UFC 316, Dvalishvili confirmed that Cory Sandhagen is next in line for a shot at the bantamweight crown. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Dvalishvili praised Sandhagen’s dedication and well-rounded record.
“I also told him he’s the most deserving contender today,” said Dvalishvili. “We never fought each other, and he always was a company guy. And he was always fighting the best guys. He beat a lot of good guys like Song Yadong, (Marlon) ‘Chito’ Vera, close fight with (Petr) Yan.”
When asked whether Sandhagen would be a tougher challenge than O’Malley or Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili noted the unique dynamic.
“He’s a new style. We’ve never fought each other and we know there is no MMA math. The style makes the fight, and Cory Sandhagen, he’s a different style. We’ve never fought each other. It will be a test for me.”
.@MerabDvalishvil on potentially fighting @corysandhagenx next:
“He’s a new style and we know there is no MMA math. The style makes the fight and Cory, he’s a different style. It will be a test for me.” pic.twitter.com/cePlEIKSTT
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 9, 2025
Sandhagen, who submitted Deiveson Figueiredo in April, has long been considered one of the division’s most technical strikers. Despite coming up short in previous title-eliminating matchups, his recent win streak and depth of experience have put him in a prime position for a breakthrough.
Should Dvalishvili defeat Sandhagen, he will match Aljamain Sterling’s record for most title defenses at bantamweight—and make a strong case to be named 2025’s pound-for-pound best.