Cory Sandhagen ponders what a win over Marlon Vera does for his career

Cory Sandhagen has emerged as a real contender in the bantamweight division and potentially finds himself within touching distance of his first shot at UFC gold, but who does the prospect want after his upcoming fight?

On Saturday, 'Sandman' will welcome fellow rising star Marlon Vera into the octagon as the two battle it out to assert themselves at the top of the 135lb weight class. Last time out, the 30-year-old managed to bring his two-fight skid to an end with an impressive showing against the heavy-hitting Song Yadong.

While discussing what comes next if he manages to beat Marlon Vera, Cory Sandhagen called for a fight against Merab Dvalishvili for a number one contender clash, saying:

"I wish it was for a title shot [but] I don't know that it's going to be, to be honest. I think O'Malley has been promised that after the Cejudo/Sterling fight, so I think it's going to be me coming for that number one spot against Merab and that's what I'll be asking for. I know that Merab is a down fighter, his last fight was super inspiring to me... It was incredible [Merab's win over Petr Yan]. Performances like that are awesome... It's the type of guy that I want to fight."

In an eye-opening showcase in his last octagon outing, Merab Dvalishvili put on a one-sided beatdown of fan-favorite Petr Yan, extending his winning run in the UFC to nine straight.

While he is clamoring for a shot at gold, the Georgian is still waiting patiently for his good friend Aljamain Sterling to either lose or vacate the strap so he can potentially make history by becoming the first UFC champion from his country.

Check out what Cory Sandhagen had to say about a possible brawl with Merab Dvalishvili in the video below.

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Sean O'Malley, Cory Sandhagen, and other names closing in on a UFC bantamweight title shot

The 135lb division is arguably the most stacked in the sport and there is a lot of congestion going on at the forefront of the rankings.

With Sean O'Malley sitting out in wait of his shot at gold, Cory Sanhagen vs. Marlon Vera is set to go down on March 25, and Merab Dvalishvili currently occupying the #1 spot in the division, there's no clear next contender.

Aljamain Sterling remains the king of bantamweights but that could come to an end when the grappling wizard comes face-to-face with Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 on May 6.