Cory Sandhagen silences Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines, sets sights on title run

Cory Sandhagen emerged victorious at UFC Des Moines, TKO'ing Deiveson Figueiredo. After the win, Sandhagen took to Instagram to pat himself on the back. It was a high-stakes matchup that may have just given Sandhagen a future crack at bantamweight gold, at least if his wishes are met.

In a recent post, the 33-year-old penned a lengthy statement in which he praised two-time UFC flyweight champion Figueiredo. Unfortunately for 'Deus da Guerra,' another title in a different division was not in the cards for him.

Sandhagen wrote:

"Ayyy let's gooo! Flawless against the biggest puncher in the division - who else has faced him and can say that? Blessed, man. Figgy's a legend. It was an honor to fight him. It went my way and it hasn't always in the past. it makes these wins that much sweeter. In a parallel universe, Figgy pops my knee...The wins, the losses, the air - it's all so special."

Sandhagen mentioned that his goal is to become a UFC champion.

"Gonna keep doing my best. I'm just a dude trying to accomplish something that a young, kid Cory had the dream of doing - world champion. We got closer to that tonight. So Hell yeah. I appreciate you fans more than you think. I hope to do you guys proud and inspire you to be yourself in a world that tries ot tell you it's not ok. Peace."

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments below:

Whether Sandhagen will get his title shot after the win remains to be seen, but the win is his first since losing to Umar Nurmagomedov in 2024.

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Cory Sandhagen has never fought for undisputed title

The closest to UFC gold Cory Sandhagen has come was at UFC 267, when he faced ex-bantamweight titleholder Petr Yan for the division's interim title. Despite a competitive bout, Sandhagen lost via unanimous decision.

Since then, he has only taken part in high-ranked bouts and title eliminators that could have led to a title shot had he won.