UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will fight Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 next month, but it seems he’s already thinking about who he might defend the title against next.

“I want a quick turnaround,” Dvalishvili said on the ‘Full send’ podcast. “I don’t overlook Cory Sandhagen. It’s going to be a tough fight. But, God willing, I’m going to do my best to win this fight, and if I win, I want to comeback quick, turnaround, and I want to fight in December. I will ask the UFC a favor to give me another fight in December. Or even November. I don’t care. I can come back.

“Because Petr Yan is clear contender right now. He deserves it. I don’t want to make him wait too long. I can make a quick turnaround and fight him, and after, we will see who will be next contender.”

Dvalishvili actually already holds a 2023 win over Yan, having beaten him by unanimous decision, but the former champ has since got back on track with a trio of wins over Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee to hold the No.3 spot on the rankings, which has put him back into the title picture.

Before that’s even a possibility however, the 13-fight unbeaten Dvalishvili will have to get past Sandhagen, and he insists it’s not a fight he’s taking lightly.

“We know styles make fights and it’s going to be a hard style for me,” Dvalishvili said. “He moves a lot on his feet. Also, if you take him down, he attacks the legs. He popped TJ Dillashaw’s knee, and he popped [Deiveson] Figueiredo’s knee, and Figueiredo gave up. After that Figueiredo tapped out. So yeah, I have to be smart. That’s my job, to prepare good. On paper, I should win, but me, I want to be the best version of myself.”