Cory Sandhagen likes his chances against Petr Yan later this month.
Sandhagen meets Yan in a mouthwatering clash for the interim bantamweight title taking place at the UFC 267 event October 30 in Abu Dhabi.
It’s an opportunity that arose for Sandhagen after current champion Aljamain Sterling had to pull out of his scheduled rematch with Yan due to lingering issues following neck surgery.
Coming off a highly-contested split decision defeat to TJ Dillashaw in July, many people felt Sandhagen had done more than enough to come out on top on that occasion.
The UFC seems to somewhat agree as with Dillashaw on the sidelines, Sandhagen was the one who ended up getting the call to step in on short notice and fight Yan.
“Yeah, it happens like that,” Sandhagen said in a recent interview with The Schmo. “You just get a phone call. ‘Do you want to fight for a world championship?’ Yes, I do want to fight for a world championship and that’s how that happens.
“…I got a heel hook on TJ that tore his LCL and now he’s out and can’t fight. And now I’m the one who gets to fight.”
Sandhagen Sees More Avenues To Victory
Sandhagen is currently a betting underdog against Yan and one can imagine that would be the case even if he wasn’t stepping in on short notice.
And while most observers would probably see more ways for Yan to come out on top given how well-rounded he is, Sandhagen feels the opposite way.
“I think Yan’s really good but I think I have a lot of ways that I can finish and hurt Petr Yan and I think my abilities and the route to success for me — I have more ways than I think Yan has in beating me,” Sandhagen added.
One thing is for sure — it promises to be one heck of a fight between two of the best 135-pounders in the world.
You can watch the full interview below:
