Dominick Cruz delivered his prediction for the highly-anticipated bantamweight showdown next month.
Top-five bantamweight standouts Cory Sandhagen and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera will headline UFC Vegas 69 on February 18th. With both fighters on the cusp of title contention, it will be a high-stakes affair when the promotion returns to The APEX in Las Vegas.
In a video clip courtesy of MMA Crazy on YouTube, former two-time bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz shared his thoughts on the 135-pound clash and delivered his prediction.
“Judging by how I fought Vera in the first three rounds, as long as Sandhagen can keep that pace and not get hurt in those first three rounds too bad, he’ll be fine. I think that he’s got a five-round style. I think Vera has the skills to… We all have the skill to finish anybody at any moment so it’s hard to say, but if I had to pick a winner in that one, I would say that Sandhagen wins by decision. By a close decision. Just edges it out by numbers with throwing more offense. By being more offensive and staying safe.”
Cory Sandhagen believes a win over Chito Vera on Feb. 18 would earn him a 135lb title shot over Sean O'Malley
Sandhagen is also open to fighting "Suga" with a #UFCVegas69 victory
Full interview via @MiddleEasy 👇https://t.co/qotLAXXlAA pic.twitter.com/i9FypwcXLM
— James Lynch (@LynchOnSports) January 3, 2023
Sandhagen And Vera Will Battle For a Potential UFC Title Opportunity
Cory Sandhagen (15-4-0) is 3-2 in his last five bouts. Losing back-to-back fights to former UFC champions TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan, ‘Sandman’ got back into the win column with a TKO over Song Yadong in September.
‘Chito’ Vera (22-7-1) is streaking toward a title opportunity after securing four-straight wins including a highlight-reel knockout over Cruz in his last outing. Vera has secured wins over Davey Grant, Frankie, Edgar, and Rob Font in the process, but perhaps his highest-profile win came against the division’s current No. 1 ranked contender, Sean O’Malley.
O’Malley has expressed interest in facing Vera should he get past Cory Sandhagen in February.
