Cory Sandhagen preparing himself to be backup fighter for Bantamweight title clash at UFC 256

At UFC 256, newly-crowned Bantamweight champion Petr Yan will defend his title against top contender Aljamain Sterling. Another surging contender for the 135lbs title, Cory Sandhagen, wants to be the backup fighter for the title clash between Yan and Sterling.

No Mercy is back to bash big mouth @funkmasterMMA #abouttime https://t.co/FmchrJ6FH2

— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) October 14, 2020

Cory Sandhagen finds himself in the title picture at bantamweight following his huge spinning kick knockout win against former No. 1 contender Marlon Moraes at UFC Fight Island 5 earlier this month. Sandhagen was on his way to a crack at the bantamweight title until Sterling stopped him in his tracks at UFC 250, but following the win over Moraes, Sandhagen is back on track.

Have yourself a night, young man 👏 🇺🇸 @Cors_Life ends the night with a STUNNER![ #UFCFightIsland5 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/meNKUxz3Je

— UFC (@ufc) October 11, 2020

Aljamain Sterling had for long warranted a title shot thanks to his performances inside the Octagon and is rightly being granted the opportunity at UFC 256 on December 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sterling is on a five-fight win streak in the UFC currently and will face Yan for the title next. While Sterling gets his crack at the title up next, Cory Sandhagen is definitely not far away.

Cory Sandhagen keeping himself ready for a late call-up

Cory Sandhagen said that he wants to keep himself prepared for a fight and also make championship weight before UFC 256 as he wants to be ready to be a backup fighter for the Yan vs. Sterling fight if the promotion allows him to.

“I understand that I’m the No. 1 guy that would jump into that spot, so I’m not gonna be stupid and just blow that away because I don’t wanna train. I’m gonna definitely keep myself prepared. I have no issue, or my ego has no issue, with being an alternate for that fight,” Cory Sandhagen said to MMAjunkie.com.

Sandhagen is currently the #2 ranked contender at 135 lbs, and he is most likely to face the winner of the fight between Yan and Sterling.