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This weekend sees surging bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen face his biggest challenge to date as he squares off with former UFC bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw in the main event of UFC Vegas 32.
Cory Sandhagen is not just one of the best bantamweights in the UFC; he’s also one of the most dangerous fighters on the roster, with some serious wins under his belt.
And if ‘The Sandman’ can add T.J. Dillashaw to his highlight reel this weekend, then it’s highly likely that his next trip to the octagon will be for a shot at the UFC bantamweight title.
With this in mind, here’s a look at Cory Sandhagen’s five most memorable moments in the UFC thus far.
#5. Cory Sandhagen vs. Aljamain Sterling – UFC 250
It seems odd to start a list of a fighter’s memorable moments with a loss, but in the case of Cory Sandhagen, it’s impossible to look past his defeat at the hands of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 250 in June 2020.
Cory Sandhagen came into the fight as the UFC bantamweight division’s next big thing. He’d gone unbeaten in the octagon at 5-0 and had beaten a pair of hard-nosed veterans in the form of Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker.
The fight with Sterling was marketed as a de facto No. 1 contender’s match, and many fans were favoring Sandhagen – feeling he’d be able to stop Sterling’s takedowns and dominate him on the feet, probably leading to some kind of violent knockout.
However, when it came down to it, the fight was brutally one-sided – and not in Sandhagen’s favor. Sterling took ‘The Sandman’ down early in the first round and dominated proceedings from there, finally finishing Sandhagen with a rear-naked choke.
Not only was this Cory Sandhagen’s first loss in the UFC, but it was his first in MMA since 2017. It ensured that ‘The Sandman’ understood that despite being one of the best fighters in the world, he wasn’t invincible inside the octagon.
So what makes this loss so memorable for him? Essentially, it’s because, in the two fights that have followed, he’s looked better than ever – dismantling two of the toughest opponents of his entire career.
The old saying is, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” and that definitely fits when it comes to Cory Sandhagen. If anything, such a memorable loss is probably a driving factor for his achievements since.
#4. Cory Sandhagen vs. Iuri Alcantara – UFC Fight Night 135
Cory Sandhagen debuted in the UFC in 2018 with a win over Austin Arnett. Still, it wasn’t until his second octagon visit – a clash with longtime veteran Iuri Alcantara – that ‘The Sandman’ put himself on the map.
Early on, it looked like Sandhagen might be out of his depth against such a dangerous and experienced opponent. Alcantara blitzed him with punches in the opening seconds of the fight, clearly knocking him off his game plan.
Moments later, Sandhagen was trapped in what looked like a tight armbar/triangle choke combination, and it looked like ‘Marajo’ would probably be able to secure a quick submission victory. However, ‘The Sandman’ proved his toughness by somehow escaping the position, despite being busted wide open.
And suddenly, the tides turned. With Alcantara stuck on the ground, Sandhagen unleashed a furious series of punches and elbows at the Brazilian that appeared to have him on the verge of being stopped. If anything, it was arguable that Alcantara was saved by the buzzer.
It was only a momentary reprieve, as Sandhagen quickly rushed him in the opening seconds of the second round and ended up finishing him after a minute of punishment.
The win not only showed off Sandhagen’s remarkable toughness, but it also showed that he had the poise to defeat a genuinely dangerous and heavily respected veteran – making him a fighter to keep an eye on.
#3. Cory Sandhagen vs. John Lineker – UFC Fight Night 150
Cory Sandhagen’s third UFC victory came against a late replacement in the form of Mario Bautista, but his fourth would be much harder going. In his first UFC main card bout, ‘The Sandman’ was faced with heavy-handed veteran John Lineker in what sounded like a potential war.
The fight lived up to all expectations, but despite Lineker’s vaunted power punches and lengthy octagon experience, it was Sandhagen who came away with his hand raised – giving him his biggest career victory at the time.
It didn’t come without a fair share of adversity, either. The first round was a tight one but was seemingly won by Sandhagen, who began to take advantage of his superior height by working the Brazilian over with long jabs and strikes from distance.
The second round swung even further in Sandhagen’s favor as his jab continued to find the target. He also took Lineker down to gain even more momentum.
But in the third round, Lineker came roaring back, hammering ‘The Sandman’ with huge punches, particularly to the body. But despite giving everything he had, ‘Hands of Stone’ couldn’t find the killer blow.
#2. Cory Sandhagen vs. Marlon Moraes – UFC Fight Island 5
Whenever a fighter takes the first loss of their UFC career, it’s safe to question exactly how they’ll look in their next trip to the octagon. After falling to Aljamain Sterling, the UFC hardly handed Cory Sandhagen a softball for his next fight.
Sandhagen was matched with Marlon Moraes – a fighter with wins over the likes of Sterling, Jimmie Rivera and Jose Aldo. His only loss since 2017 had come to Henry Cejudo. Moraes could also boast one of the most dangerous striking games in the UFC bantamweight division.
The pressure was also on Sandhagen as the fight was scheduled as the main event of UFC Fight Island 5 – his first headline bout in the UFC.
But if fans expected ‘The Sandman’ to struggle in the aftermath of his first UFC loss, they were sorely mistaken. In a wild first round, Moraes came out aggressively – but Sandhagen matched his aggression, and the two men exchanged heavy strikes, with ‘The Sandman’ absorbing plenty of punishment.
The second round went perfectly for him. Just moments into the stanza, Sandhagen landed a head kick that he immediately told his corner had broken Moraes’ orbital bone. Incredibly, he followed that blow with a ridiculous spinning wheel kick, knocking the Brazilian silly and ending the fight.
The knockout was one of the most outstanding of 2020 and stands as one of the only spinning kick finishes in UFC history. This was absolute proof that not only had Sandhagen bounced back from his loss to Sterling, but he was probably even better for it.
#1. Cory Sandhagen vs. Frankie Edgar – UFC Vegas 18
In most circumstances, a win like Cory Sandhagen produced over Marlon Moraes would have been enough to net a fighter a shot at the UFC title. However, with plenty of controversy surrounding the UFC bantamweight title thanks to the contentious clash between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling, a title shot wasn’t possible for ‘The Sandman.’
Instead, at UFC Vegas 18, the promotion matched him with another wickedly formidable opponent in the form of Frankie Edgar.
‘The Answer’ didn’t look as good as he’d done in his heyday as UFC lightweight champion, but he was still coming off a bantamweight debut win over Pedro Munhoz and looked like a difficult match for Cory Sandhagen.
But clearly, nobody had handed ‘The Sandman’ the memo that suggested he was in for a tricky night. Just 28 seconds into the first round, the fight was over, and Edgar was left unconscious on the octagon floor.
Sandhagen landed a ridiculous flying knee directly to the head of the former UFC lightweight champion, knocking him senseless. In fact, the way Edgar fell to the ground was a truly scary moment that made fans worried for his immediate future.
Edgar had been stopped twice before this, but never in this fashion and never quite so violently. The win was not only the most memorable knockout of Cory Sandhagen’s UFC career, but it might’ve been the greatest knockout in UFC bantamweight history, too.
