Credit:Getty/UFC
Credit:Getty/UFC
Credit:Getty/UFC
Credit:Getty/UFC
During his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure, Cory
Sandhagen has developed a killer instinct that belies his
outward appearance.
When the Elevation Fight Team product made Frankie
Edgar faceplant with a spectacular flying knee 28 seconds into
their co-main event encounter at
UFC Fight Night 184 on Saturday night, he briefly felt a twinge
of regret for doing that kind of damage to such a beloved figure in
the sport.
“It feels good to add that to my resume. I’m even more happy it
went the way that it did. That’ll be one that gets replayed for a
long time—highlights last forever,” Sandhagen said. “Afterwards, it
was a little bit emotional. I don’t want to see someone crawling up
off the canvas. That was a little sad, but that’s the game we’re
in. Better him than me.”
Sandhagen has found the proper mentality that allows him to author
the type of finishes that end up on yearly award lists. He’s done
it in back to back fights, too: His spinning wheel kick finish of
Marlon
Moraes in October was nearly as spectacular as what he did to
Edgar.
“I know how to put myself in a place for war,” Sandhagen said.
“Before it was about being artistic—go be technical, beautiful and
make fighting look cool—but it’s not that anymore.
“It’s hurt the person in a really smart way and make sure I’m going
home safe.”
Sandhagen has been victorious in seven of his eight Octagon
appearances thus far. His lone loss — a first-round submission
defeat to Aljamain
Sterling at UFC 250 in June — still stings, but it went a long
way toward building Sandhagen into who he is now.
Sterling is scheduled to face reigning 135-pound champion Petr Yan at
UFC 259, and Sandhagen would seemingly be well positioned to face
the winner. However, with the return of ex-title holder T.J.
Dillashaw looming, nothing is a given. Matchmaking has been
known to take a curious turn within the Las Vegas-based promotion,
and title shots are often handed out on reputation alone.
“I’m a different monster than before I fought Aljamain
Sterling,” Sandhagen said on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 184
post-fight show on ESPN+. “He taught me some lessons. I know [Petr]
Yan has been talking about fighting T.J. [Dillashaw] after [he
fights Aljamain
Sterling at UFC 259], and that’s if he even wins that fight.
That’s garbage to me.
“Fight me, I’m the toughest guy next to Aljamain. If Aljamain wins,
I owe him a nap. He’s gonna get that nap. The winner of those two
gets knocked out by me in July.”
Sandhagen’s growth has been a sight to behold within the UFC’s
bantamweight division. No one in the weight class has the highlight
reel he does right now, and he attributes that in large part to his
new mindset. It’s a scary thought for future opponents.
“I’m not an arrogant guy, but if there’s one thing I know about
myself it’s that I can adapt. I can change my mind,” he said.
“Whatever I need to do in order to survive, I’ll do. I take that
with me everywhere in life. In this sport, I need to be
nasty. I wasn’t that before. Now I am that and I’m knocking
people out.”