“Trevor has really been hammering into my head the last two camps this self-belief that champions have that I thought was really ‘froufrou’ and kind of silly for, for a long time,” Sandhagen said. “But I kind of just was like, ‘All right, I trust this guy a lot, and he knows what he’s talking about. He’s built champions, and so I’m just going to believe in him and trust him,’ and he’s helped me really get my mind to a point where it feels unbeatable.”

Sandhagen laments how defensive-minded he was against Nurmagomedov and, wary of saying anything that sounds like an excuse that takes away from his opponent’s victory over him, admits adjusting to a new coach’s style and philosophy was a “tough transition.”

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He is quick to say he understands nobody really cares about that in the results-based world that is the fight game, but he is approaching his title fight with Dvalishvili with an evolved mentality.

“I really feel like I’ve tapped into something different,” he said. “I’m at a different level that I’ve never experienced myself. I’m more confident. I believe in myself more than I’ve ever believed in myself. My skills are better than they’ve ever been. I understand everything a lot better. I feel like on fight night, I’m going to be unbeatable. I really feel like I’ve honed that in, I forged that, I’ve hammered that down in this training camp, and it’s been with the help of me, but also with the help of a lot of my coaches and stuff. 

“I really feel like I’m unbeatable, and after I beat Merab, who’s kind of known as one of the greatest in the division and all of this stuff, that’s going to just shoot my stock way through the roof.”