Cory
Sandhagen provided the type of finish on Saturday night that
gives him serious leverage in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
bantamweight division.
The Elevation Fight Team standout dispatched Marlon
Moraes in spectacular fashion, knocking out the former
135-pound title challenger with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up
punches 63 seconds into Round 2 of their headlining bout at
UFC Fight Night 179 in Abu Dhabi.
While it seems inevitable that the Las Vegas-based promotion will
eventually book Aljamain
Sterling against reigning bantamweight king Petr Yan,
there’s always a possibility Sandhagen could skip to the front of
the line – even with a first-round submission loss to “The
Funkmaster” on his resume. It wouldn’t be the first time merit took
a backseat in a sport that places a premium on entertainment.
“I would feel really bad if they did me and Yan, and they did that
to Sterling,” Sandhagen said at Saturday’s post-fight press
conference. “That being said, it’s a dog-eat-dog sport, you know?
So if they give me that shot, I’m taking that shot. But I think it
should be Sterling and Yan.”
However, if the UFC does as expected, Sandhagen will continue to do
what he’s done in recent years: Stay ready in case a short-notice
opportunity arises.
“Honestly, I’ve been doing that for a year or two now where it’s
like, ‘OK, there’s a big fight coming up. I don’t have a fight
coming up. I’m going to keep my weight low, and I’m going to stay
ready,’” Sandhagen said. “I’ve been doing that in camp. I’ve been
doing that almost the whole time I’ve been in the UFC. But, yeah,
I’m definitely going to do that now because I think I’m probably
the No. 1 guy if one of those guys gets hurt.
The Colorado native has been victorious in six of his seven UFC
appearances, with notable names such as Moraes, Raphael
Assuncao and John
Lineker on his resume. If a title shot isn’t on the horizon,
Sandhagen only sees a couple other opponents that would make sense
for his next bout. He believes his latest effort has earned him a
marquee name.
“The only other two other guys that have an argument are Frankie
[Edgar] and T.J. [Dillashaw]. [Maybe I fight] one of those guys
before they end up fighting each other,” Sandhagen said. “Hopefully
I’m not this little name after this. Hopefully I have some pull in
the sport because that’s kind of where I feel like I’ve been.
They’re giving me really good fights, but I never felt like if I
called someone out it was going to get a lot of juice. But I think
I got some juice tonight.”
Dillashaw will be eligible to return at the beginning of next year
after serving a two-year suspension for a failed drug test in 2019,
while Edgar scored a win over Pedro
Munhoz in his bantamweight debut earlier this year. When it
comes to picking between former champions, Sandhagen doesn’t have a
preference.
“Whichever one’s going to get me closer,” Sandhagen said. “I don’t
really know how the mind of the UFC matchmakers works 100 percent.
I just know win fights, get good finishes and they’ll give you good
fights.”