The UFC Vancouver is heating up, as all eyes aren’t just on the cage. Daniel Cormier, a veteran commentator, took a moment during the live program to address the firestorm he started just two days ago about Merab Dvalishvili’s takedown stats. With fans disputing whether ‘The Machine’ actually landed 20 takedowns against Cory Sandhagen, DC chose the airwaves and social media platform X to clarify his position, promising to explain exactly what he meant and why the figures may not tell the whole picture.

It all started when ‘DC’ questioned the legitimacy of Merab Dvalishvili‘s recorded takedowns following UFC 320, calling the MMA scoring system “a problem.” His words sparked an internet discussion, with many accusing him of downplaying Dvalishvili’s dominance. The two-division champion stated at Good Guy/Bad Guy that a takedown should only be considered “when you go to the mat,” not when a fighter merely lifts and drops his opponent without control.

Daniel Cormier explains why he ‘downplayed’ Merab Dvalishvili’s takedown record

Cormier’s comment ignited a debate between purists and casual fans, with some agreeing with his technical explanation and others dismissing it as pointless nitpicking. Now, during the Vancouver broadcast, the former UFC double champion took matters into his own hands. Between segments, he went on X to share the same clip that sparked the outrage.

He wrote, “I’m not mad at his takedowns. I’m just saying I’ve always not quite understood how they score ‘em in MMA. I still don’t believe Khabib got 22 takedowns lol.” This was Daniel Cormier attempting to soften the impact while keeping his point: he wasn’t criticizing Merab Dvalishvili, but rather the system itself.

The former Olympian’s wrestling pedigree lends credibility to his opinions, and his latest comments were more about clarity than controversy. He wanted fans to understand that scoring in MMA is vastly different from conventional wrestling, and this is where the confusion originates. Nonetheless, the discussion is unlikely to end very soon.

However, he would be glad to know that his take was backed by a legend of the sport who truly knows wrestling inside out. Wrestling legend Ben Askren retweeted Cormier’s original tweet and shared his take on it. ‘Funky’ wrote, “They score a mat return as a takedown the bottom person needs to completely clear control before another TD should be able to be established! DC is 100% correct.”

As ‘The Machine’ continues to dominate with his unrelenting takedown pressure, discussions over how those stats are calculated will follow him. For the time being, Daniel Cormier’s message is simple: he is not backing down but is simply emphasizing the difference between numbers on paper and what actually happens inside the Octagon. And it is also worth noting that while Cormier doesn’t believe Merab Dvalishvili actually landed 20 takedowns, Cory Sandhagen claims that the takedowns landed on him are not an accurate reflection of their fight.

Cory Sandhagen discredits Dvalishvili’s record

While Daniel Cormier defended his take on Merab Dvalishvili’s takedown stats, Cory Sandhagen challenged the idea that 20 takedowns tell the whole story of the fight. The bantamweight contender, who was defeated by a unanimous decision at UFC 320, said that landing a takedown is only one side of the equation; it is the control that follows that truly defines its impact.

Sandhagen stated on The Ariel Helwani Show, “I mean, the 20 takedowns is kind of funny to me because I think that if you watch that fight, you’re not going to be like, ‘Wow, Merab’s wrestling was super impressive,’ because what’s a takedown without any control? It’s kind of just, like, mat returns don’t hurt.”

He emphasized that simply getting bumped to the mat and returning to your feet does not always constitute an MMA-style takedown, even if the official numbers count it. Sandhagen went on to break down the bout, acknowledging Merab Dvalishvili’s determination in maintaining body locks while pointing out the limitations of the “S” grip.

“I was really surprised, though, at Merab being so adamant about keeping his hands locked… He made me fight his grip the whole time, and he milked a lot of clock doing that. It’s a gamey way to win,” he explained. Even though he recognized the Georgian’s effort and work rate, ‘The Sandman’ highlighted that the numbers on the stat sheet don’t fully capture the nuance of true grappling exchanges, something that even Daniel Cormier agrees with.