Whereas making his recurrently scheduled look on the “Ray Longo Minute” phase of the Anik and Florian Podcast, which options UFC commentator John Anik alongside his co-host, former UFC title challenger and commentator Kenny Florian, Longo, a legendary MMA coach, mentioned the upcoming title bout involving his star pupil.
Longo has guided a number of fighters to championship gold, together with Chris Weidman, Matt Serra, Aljamain Sterling, and most not too long ago, Merab Dvalishvili. Merab is about to face bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen in a extremely anticipated matchup at UFC 320.
Through the podcast, John Anik remarked to Longo, “I think Merab Dvalishvili is the biggest MMA superstar in America among active fighters.” Longo agreed, referencing the champion’s latest coaching footage with Demetrious Johnson, who’s broadly thought of one of many prime three fighters in MMA historical past. He added, “He’s living the American dream at this point, and he loves fighting.”
Cory Sandhagen enters the bout following a victory over former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. With Merab having cleared out the highest contenders within the division, Sandhagen now will get his second shot at UFC gold and presents a novel stylistic problem for the reigning champion. When requested by John Anik concerning the Sandhagen matchup, Longo shared his perspective on the matchup.
Ray Longo Acknowledges Cory Sandhagen’s Hazard, However Believes Merab’s Relentless Model Will Prevail
“I’ve always been a big Sandhagen fan since day one. I like his attitude, I like his approach to everything. Sandhagen is dangerous, and you know this is his one opportunity.”
Cory Sandhagen has earned a fame as one of the deadly strikers within the division, with vicious knockout wins over former light-weight champion Frankie Edgar and prime contender Marlon Moraes.
Ray Longo adopted up by saying, “You obviously can’t go to sleep on a guy like Sandhagen, but I think he’s only got one way to get Merab out of there. He’s got to slow down a freight train in front of him.” With respect to each aspect, Ray Longo see’s his fighter securing yet one more title protection, turning into one step nearer to being thought of the best of this technology.
