Cory Sandhagen reveals the hardest he has been hit, and it's not one of the three bantamweights who've beaten him in UFC

Cory Sandhagen has remained sidelined since tearing his right bicep in the first round of his dominant UFC on ESPN 50 victory over Rob Font last August. The No.3-ranked bantamweight, who has never been knocked out in his mixed martial arts career, revealed the hardest hitter that he has faced since joining the UFC.

Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, 'The Sandman' stated:

"I mean [Petr] Yan knocked me down with some really crafty s**t, but it wasn't necessarily the force of it that I think knocked me down. It was the spinning backfist [and] hook that kind of, the two of them together, knocked me down. Honestly Song [Yadong] hit me the hardest that I've ever been hit and it was the most hidden and most technical, tight left hook that I've ever been hit with."

He continued:

"Fighting John Lineker for 15 minutes was obviously really tough and not the most fun thing in the world, but yeah, I think that probably the hardest I've been hit is against Song. But yeah, I guess I've eaten some good ones. I must have a good chin because I still haven't had my lights put out."

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments on the hardest hitter he's faced in the UFC below:

In addition to never being knocked out, Sandhagen has never lost via TKO. He has only been finished once in his mixed martial arts career, as he suffered a first-round submission loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 250.

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Cory Sandhagen reiterates willingness to face Umar Nurmagomedov

Cory Sandhagen had been set to face Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC on ESPN 50 before the latter was forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury. 'The Sandman' recently expressed that he is willing to face 'Young Eagle' following his UFC Fight Night 238 victory over Bekzat Almakhan.

Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, the No.3-ranked bantamweight stated:

"I have no problem fighting Umar especially if they're telling me it's for a No.1 contender spot. If they're that high on him, then yeah, let's go at it, decide who should be fighting for the belt next and then let's solidify this thing for me so that there's no more question of whether it should be or someone else. If I win the next one against Umar there's absolutely no argument that I feel like I shouldn't be fighting for the belt next."

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments on facing Umar Nurmagomedov below:

Following Merab Dvalishvili's dominant victory over Henry Cejudo, UFC President and CEO Dana White revealed that he is next in line to face the winner of this weekend's UFC 299 title bout between Sean O'Malley and Marlon 'Chito' Vera. While many believe that Sandhagen should not have to fight before receiving a title opportunity, he appears intent on solidifying his case rather than sitting on the sideline.