Cory Sandhagen is still very close to earning a title shot.
Sandhagen suffered a split decision loss to TJ Dillashaw in their UFC Vegas 32 headliner last night after a back-and-forth war over five rounds.
Despite the result, many felt Sandhagen’s stock went up in defeat and while others also believe he was deserving of the victory, especially if the scoring criteria is anything to go by.
However, “The Sandman” is not dwelling on the setback too much. In fact, he’s already spoken to UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby who made a pinky promise with the bantamweight contender.
“Sean Shelby just talked to me in the back,” Sandhagen told Megan Olivi backstage. “I made him pinky promise me that I’m still one fight away from winning the title.
“He came back, he said, ‘there’s nothing I can do about that [defeat], but I promise you you’re still one fight away from the title.’ I said, ‘I’m going to make you pinky promise me,’ and he did, so that’s still what we’re looking at.”
"Sean Shelby just talked to me in the back. I made him pinky promise me that I'm still one fight away from the title."
Cory Sandhagen wanted assurances after #UFCVegas32 😅 (via @MeganOlivi) pic.twitter.com/vbDjkpyZ2Y
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 25, 2021
Who Could Be Next For Sandhagen?
The defeat — which was just his second in the UFC — shouldn’t affect Sandhagen too much.
If anything, he should only drop down to No. 3 in the rankings. Potential next fights could include enticing encounters with Rob Font or even Jose Aldo if the latter is able to get past Pedro Munhoz.
A decisive win against either of them or even someone ranked below and Sandhagen could be getting the next title shot.
