Cory Sandhagen is next in line, and he won’t be denied.
UFC Des Moines saw the ‘Sandman’ score perhaps his most impressive victory inside the Octagon yet, forcing former flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo to tap out in the second round after getting his knee popped. The win solidified Sandhagen’s spot in the bantamweight top five and, by all accounts, put him in pole position to challenge either Merab Dvalishvili or Sean O’Malley—whichever comes out on top in their UFC 316 title tilt next month.
Cory Sandhaged defeats Deiveson Figueiredo via TKO (injury) in the second round of the #UFCDesMoines headliner! pic.twitter.com/CYVDnZCWH4
— SuperbeastCraig (@SuperbeastCraig) May 4, 2025
Speaking with James Lynch in a MiddleEasy exclusive interview, Cory Sandhagen looked back on his 18th career win and the opportunity to show the world that he can get the job done both with his fists and on the mat.
“I thought I did good,” Sandhagen said. “The whole plan was to try and get a finish. That’s what I did, and I’m glad it came sooner rather than later in the fight, and I’m glad it was in a spot that showed I’m a really well-rounded guy. I know that people see that already, but the leg entanglement and the leg lock is a super technical area to know, and it was fun to show that I know that area really well too.”
Sandhagen’s popularity among fight fans has significantly increased in recent years, part of that being his increased utilization of social media.
However, ‘Sandman’ believes that fans have always liked him for being a stand-up guy who does his talking inside the cage and refuses to parade himself around as just another phony character talking trash for clicks.
“I try not to pay attention to much to the way people view me because it messes with my head sometimes. I think that people have always kind of liked me a little bit. I’m really honest, and I’m not trying to be something else. People pick up on bullsh*t really easy. People are pretty smart in that way, most of the time. So I think I’ve always been liked, but I think it’s cool for the people to see other sides of me.”
It’s hard to imagine anyone else more deserving of a bantamweight title opportunity than Cory Sandhagen right now. Of course, that won’t stop fighters from trying to goad him into a confrontation.
In particular, fighters like Petr Yan, who was quick to call out Sandhagen after Saturday’s festivities in the Midwest. Yan holds a victory over Sandhagen from back in 2021 and currently resides as the bantamweight division’s No. 2 contender. Unfortunately, ‘No Mercy’ has found himself in a bit of a standstill after dropping four of his last seven fights.
“I feel for Yan right now,” Sandhagen said while addressing Yan’s calls for a rematch. “He’s in the same spot that I’ve kind of been in for a while now where there’s literally no one to fight, and that position sucks. I’m sure he’d rather fight me than fight down in the rankings, especially with me looking good in my last one and beating a guy he didn’t finish.
“I feel for him, but I totally know what’s going on. He just has the itch to fight, and there’s no one else to fight. That’s what that is, but I think I deserve the title shot next. Jan had his chance. He’s like [2-3] in his last [five]. I’m doing better than he is. That doesn’t mean Jan’s not a good fighter, but I’m doing better. I have more hype, and me versus Merab [Dvalishvili] or me versus [Sean] O’Mallley is going to do way more viewership than Jan in that type of fight.”
‘Sandman’ Reveals Why He’s Not the Official UFC 316 Backup
Clearly, Cory Sandhagen has bigger fish to fry. That being the bantamweight world title.
The belt will be on the line on June 7 when reigning champion Merab Dvalishvili puts his gold on the line against Sean O’Malley—the man he took the title from in September.
Initially, Sandhagen revealed that he would head to the Prudential Center in New Jersey to act as the official backup for the headliner. As it turns out, he’ll be there solely as a spectator after the UFC declined to guarantee him a future title shot by accepting the backup role.
“I’m going to go to New Jersey, but they told me they’re not going to make a decision on anything until after the fight happens. They asked me if I wanted to be the backup, and I asked, ‘Does that guarantee me a title shot afterwards?’ They were like, ‘No, we’re just gonna kind of do it for you because we like you.’
“I’ll definitely be in the building, but being a backup fighter is usually not a good deal for the backup fighter, most of the time. You gotta train for both guys, and usually it’s on shorter notice. And if you do end up fighting, you’re not going to be at 100%, as if you had time to prepare for just one of them. It’s a bad deal overall. I was gonna do it just to kiss some a**, but if they’re not gonna guarantee me a title shot, it sounds like they’re okay with just waiting, and I’m okay with it too.”
While Cory Sandhagen’s role in the division may be much clearer following UFC Des Moines, there are a lot of bantamweight fighters wandering about, waiting to find out what’s next for them.
Looking forward instead of backwards, Sandhagen isn’t particularly concerned with who does what at this point, so long as he’s fighting for gold in 2025. Still, that didn’t stop the ‘Sandman’ from offering his expertise on the cluttered bantamweight standings and how to clear it up a bit.
“Song [Yadong] being ranked No. 5 is a pretty big deal. I don’t know what [Henry] Cejudo is doing, but Song being in the mix, but I don’t know. I was looking at the rankings this morning, and I beat five, six, seven, and eight, I think, so there’s no one for me to fight [backwards] right now. There’s just some guys ahead of me that I’ve got to beat. That’s where my thinking is.”
He continued, “If I were matchmaking the division, this is what I would do: I would have Umar [Nurmagomedov] and Yan fight, whenever Umar is better. Like on an October card in Abu Dhabi. Have me fight the winner of Merab and O’Malley around the same time. Winner of Umar and Yan fights me, who just won the belt. Either way, it’ll be a rematch, so it’ll have some hype and be easy to sell.”
Cory Sandhagen Doesn’t Feel Bad for Bo Nickal
Before Cory Sanghagen stepped inside the Octagon on Saturday, fight fans witnessed former D-1 national wrestling champion Bo Nickal suffer the first setback of his professional MMA career.
After much talk about fighters like Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du Plessis being beneath him, Nickal was finished in the second round of his co-main event against former two-division ONE world champion Reinier de Ridder. Nickal ate an especially brutal knee to the body that folded him like a lawn chair against the fence, bringing an end to the fight and his undefeated run.
Reinier de Ridder takes Bo Nickal’s ‘O’ with a brutal body shot KO!!! #UFCDesMoines pic.twitter.com/tHRkBcwgIZ
— SuperbeastCraig (@SuperbeastCraig) May 4, 2025
Asked about Nickal’s defeat and the subsequent lashing he’s received from fans, Cory Sandhagen believes that when you talk as much trash as the former Nittany Lion did, the MMA community is going to make you suffer the consequences.
“I didn’t watch a ton of the fight, but I honestly don’t feel bad for these guys that talk a bunch of trash, lose, and then get sh*t on,” Sandhagen said. “They’re asking for it, a little bit. If you want to reap all of the rewards of being in the spotlight and being the controversial talker, then you also have to reap what you sow as far as consequences go.
“I wish the world was a nicer place, but if you’re going to talk like that, I don’t feel bad for you when people come after you. When you talk like that, that’s what you’re putting at risk.”
Check out the full exclusive interview below:
