Sandhagen Returns to Win Column With Lopsided Display Over Figgy
At UFC Des Moines, Cory Sandhagen rebounded from his recent disappointment with a huge win over former Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo. After a loss in which top contender Umar Nurmagomedov largely neutralized “The Sandman”, he returned to form in a big way. He was fast and crisp in his kickboxing and savvy on the mat en route to a second-round finish officially scored as a TKO, which is perhaps more aptly characterized as a Submission.
In the first frame, the disparity in reach and speed was immediately on display. Sandhagen pummeled Figgy with sharp low kicks, as the Brazilian had serious trouble closing the distance to find the mark with his punches. Figueiredo desperately needed a takedown as an equalizer for the range management issue and was able to find it. However, in the ensuing scramble, he ended up on the bottom after an unsuccessful attempt to take Sandhagen’s back. Figueiredo then attacked a leg lock, which the American defended. Figgy then inexplicably decided to sell out, pursuing the ill-fated attempt. It was a costly decision, as he doubled down and continued hunting for submission, and Sandhagen battered his face with punches in the meantime. It was an incredibly dominant round for Cory Sandhagen, who racked up absurd margins of 31-2 in significant strikes and 53-3 in total strikes.
TKO or Submission? An Unusual Finish for Cory Sandhagen
The former champ didn’t find any answers between rounds. It was largely a carbon copy of the first for how long it lasted. Deiveson Figueiredo again took Sandhagen down. This time, it was Cory attacking a leg and quickly using it to sweep into the top position. Figueiredo got up this time, seeming to learn from his prior mistake. However, he was promptly taken down himself and ate more heavy punches and elbows on the bottom. In response, he repeated his cardinal sin and aggressively attacked a leg. This time, the misstep would prove damning. In the leg lock battle that followed, Sandhagen rolled forward, torquing Figueiredo’s knee to devastating effect. The Brazilian tapped out due to injury with about a minute left in the round.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference after UFC Des Moines, Cory Sandhagen offered some clarification on the ending. Ringside analysts described it as an injury stoppage, and the official ruling was a TKO. However, Sandhagen disputed the implication that there was anything incidental about the injury, saying it was a deliberate submission:
“It was like a ‘pop’ submission. The position’s called 50/50. If you don’t know how to play 50/50, you’re gonna pop your knee. If I sit up hard and you don’t sit back, your knee is gonna pop. It happened to TJ [Dillashaw] when I did that to him, and it happened to Figgy. I heard it click really loud. That wasn’t an accidental thing.”
He also had some commentary on Deiveson Figueiredo choosing to engage in leg locks with him in general:
“I don’t know what that was about, but you’re not gonna beat me with leg locks, ever. You can attack my legs all you want, but those are very technical spots and I’m very good in those spots.”
The Sandman Chases Glory
When asked about the next steps, Cory Sandhagen didn’t mince words. He wants to be the Bantamweight Champion, and believes he has earned the right to challenge for it:
“I showed that I’m better. I showed that I’m the best guy and I deserve to be next.”
The belt is set to be up for grabs next month when champion Merab Dvalishvili fights a rematch against former champ Sean O’Malley. Sandhagen is confident in his ability to dethrone either of them pending the outcome. When asked about the potential matchups, he said he’s been doing his homework and believes he has the skills and fight IQ to walk away with UFC gold.
“Everybody has weaknesses in their style. I’ve done a lot of breaking down of Merab and O’Malley this week. Merab’s good, of course, but he’s beatable, and I believe I’m the guy to beat Merab. I can crack the code. I’m the only guy that hasn’t gotten to fight him yet that’s in the top 5. And if it’s O’Malley, the entire world wants to see O’Malley and I step into a cage and fight. The UFC needs big fights, and you can’t make a bigger fight than me and O’Malley right now.”
He certainly has a strong case. After his loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, Umar was allowed to fight for the title. Dvalishvili won fairly convincingly, and it’s unclear if the UFC would be eager to reprise that pairing so soon. Petr Yan has a budding winning streak but has also already lost to Merab. Sandhagen also invoked the ever-dubious “MMA math” to argue he’s the better fighter regardless; Yan took Deiveson Figueiredo to a decision, whereas Sandhagen finished him inside two rounds.
Has Cory Sandhagen done enough? That is for UFC brass to decide. They certainly have no grounds to give him anything less than a #1 Contender fight against Yan or Nurmagomedov. If they do opt to make him the next title challenger, then Merab or O’Malley will have their hands full. He reestablished himself at UFC Des Moines, and there’s no denying he is an elite threat in every facet of the game. In addition, he’s desperately hungry for the belt, and that is always a dangerous trait:
“Nothing fires you up like a loss. I’m going to be the champ one day. I’m ready to win that belt. I’ve dreamed of being a world champion for more than half my life now. UFC, please give me an opportunity to show how great I am to the whole world; PLEASE.”
Featured Image Credit via Embed from Getty Images
