Cory Sandhagen explains wrestling-heavy approach against Rob Font; apologizes to crowd for lack of excitement

No. 4 ranked UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen clinched a dominant unanimous decision win against Rob Font at the recently concluded UFC on ESPN 50.

Sandhagen showcased a well-rounded game as he predominantly used wrestling to shut off his opponent's advances completely. However, 'Sandman's fans, who learned to love him as an aggressive striker, don't seem to favor this new approach.

During his post-fight interview, the bantamweight contender took notice of the booing fans and apologized for not having delivered an absolute firefight. It was injuries that forced the Colorado native to employ a wrestling-heavy approach instead of pure striking:

"Hey Nashville, I wanted to put a more exciting fight on [but] I've been dealing with a lot of elbow problems recently. I think I tore my tricep in the first round. I know, I know, boo away you know. I'm sorry, it was technical as hell. I'm a wrestler now a little bit, so sorry."

Catch Cory Sandhagen's comments below (0:39):

Cory Sandhagen holds a pro-MMA record of 17-4 and is currently on a three-fight win streak.

With the statement win 'Sandman' is now hoping to get a crack at the 135 pounds title in his next outing. Talking to Michael Bisping after the win, Sandhagen called for a fight against the winner of the bantamweight title clash between Sean O'Malley vs. Aljamain Sterling.

"I want to be able to out-wrestle the strikers": Cory Sandhagen explains the rationale behind his wrestling-heavy approach against Rob Font

Contrary to his usual style Cory Sandhagen employed a wrestling-heavy approach to cruise to a victory against Rob Font at UFC on ESPN 50.

'Sandman' is trying to be the best mixed martial artist in the world, and having a multi-dimensional game complete with proficient striking and grappling is essential to succeed in mixed martial arts.

During the post-fight press conference, 'Sandman' addressed the fan criticisms of the fight being unexciting, stating that he aims to be unpredictable and surprise his opponents by employing the various tool in his arsenal:

"[Rob] Font doesn't wrestle that good... He doesn't get up very well... I know that there's a lot of boos, and it's not the most exciting win, maybe for the people in the crowd."

"I'm on my way to being one of the best mixed martial artists in the world. I want to be able to out-wrestle the strikers, and I want to be able to out-strike the wrestlers... I think I showed tonight that If you're going to think it's just going to be a striking match, we're wrestling."

Catch Cory Sandhagen's comments below (22:31):