Cory Sandhagen is only targeting a title shot next.
Sandhagen made it back-to-back impressive knockout wins following his first-round flying knee finish of Frankie Edgar in the UFC Vegas 18 co-headliner last night.
It followed his spinning wheel kick knockout of Marlon Moraes in October as “The Sandman” bounced back from his summer submission defeat to Aljamain Sterling and is now firmly next in line for a bantamweight title shot.
That’s all he is targeting now with current champion Petr Yan set to defend his title against Sterling at UFC 259 on March 6. And Sandhagen plans on finishing the winner.
“I’m a different monster than before I fought Aljamain Sterling,” Sandhagen said (via MMA Fighting). “He taught me some lessons. I know [Petr] Yan has been talking about fighting T.J. [Dillashaw] after [he fights Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259], and that’s if he even wins that fight. That’s garbage to me.
“Fight me, I’m the toughest guy next to Aljamain. If Aljamain wins, I owe him a nap. He’s gonna get that nap. The winner of those two gets knocked out by me in July.”
Sandhagen Plan For 2021
Although he’s not one for predictions, Sandhagen is leaning towards Sterling to get the win over Yan next month.
That would also be ideal for the 28-year-old as that means he would not only have a chance at winning the bantamweight title, but also avenge his first UFC defeat in the process.
“Win the belt in July – defend it by the end of the year,” he added.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed as it all depends on whether the promotion will allow Sandhagen to get the next shot over former champion Dillashaw who is now eligible to compete.
