Cory
Sandhagen was all class following his closely-contested loss to
Petr
Yan in the UFC 267 co-main event.
Though Sandhagen outlanded Yan by a 169-to-149 count in significant
strikes, his Russian opponent connected with the more damaging
blows over the course of five rounds – including the bout’s only
knockdown. Sandhagen did his best work in Round 1, but couldn’t
duplicate that effort consistently enough to get the nod from the
cageside judges.
In the immediate aftermath, Sandhagen had no issues with the final
verdict.
“He’s a hell of a fighter, man,” Sandhagen said in a post-fight
interview in the Octagon. “You’re a great fighter. He was better
tonight, man. I don’t really have much else to say. I always ask. I
always want to fight the best in the world. I know that’s what’s
going to make me the best martial artist I can be. I’m grateful I
got to do it tonight. I’ll take from it and I’ll learn from it and
next time I face him, I’ll get the win.”
After winning seven of his first eight Octagon appearances, a
stretch that includes highlight-reel knockouts of Frankie
Edgar and Marlon
Moraes, the Elevation Fight Team product has dropped
back-to-back five-round verdicts against Yan and T.J.
Dillashaw. Sandhagen is confident he will eventually become a
UFC champion.
“Tough sport. Hell of a fight, Yan. Learn. Get better. The ship
keeps sailing,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’m gonna be champ one
day.”