Cory Sandhagen isn`t dwelling on the past, but he admits to having lingering regrets about how his recent bout against Umar Nurmagomedov unfolded.
He ultimately lost a unanimous decision to the highly-regarded Russian bantamweight. While Sandhagen gives credit to Nurmagomedov for his performance, he also points the finger at himself for what went wrong that night. In his view, Sandhagen believes he overthought his game plan and strategy rather than simply reacting to the flow of the fight in the octagon.
When speaking to MMA Fighting, Sandhagen explained, “The me and Umar fight, I feel like frustration lost me that fight a little bit.” He elaborated that he went in with the expectation that Nurmagomedov would be very hard to hit. Instead of merely accepting this as a challenge, it frustrated him because despite training intensely to hit difficult opponents, it still wasn`t working. This feeling then “kind of spiraled” during the match.
Sandhagen believes that deviating from his natural fighting style usually leads to poor results against top competitors. He felt he “overcorrected” in that specific fight, knowing that the scoring would likely be close. He was confident in his ability to get back up if taken down, feeling this would cancel out Nurmagomedov`s grappling threat. Therefore, he anticipated that the fight would primarily be decided by who landed the more significant strikes.
However, Sandhagen knows he failed to engage with Nurmagomedov in a way that would have allowed him to capitalize on the openings that arose during the fight, which ultimately cost him.
He stated, “Where I should have just run my normal game plan of good martial arts until they make a mistake and then jump on them instead of half-good martial arts and forcing things that aren`t there.” Sandhagen understands that trying to force offense against skilled opponents simply doesn`t work. He reiterated that frustration was a key factor in that loss.
Sandhagen is still critical of himself when he watches the fight. He noted that even though it was scored heavily in Nurmagomedov`s favor (like four rounds to one), all the rounds felt very close. He believes if he had made just a couple of minor adjustments, he could have won. He sees this as a recurring theme in his career: being very good at “almost” winning these crucial fights. He is now focused on figuring out how to consistently win those tight rounds.
One positive outcome from the disappointing loss is Sandhagen`s commitment to ensuring he doesn`t have a similar result added to his record.
He is scheduled to face Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event of UFC Des Moines on May 3rd, and Sandhagen promises he won`t hold anything back in this upcoming bout.
Sandhagen stated, “I think that I`m really going to challenge myself to go out and put a stamp on this thing.” He has specifically trained to dominate opponents, working diligently between fights with renowned striking coach Trevor Wittman and significantly improving his grappling with his wrestling and jiu-jitsu coaches.
He feels that many aspects of his game have come together because he`s been working extremely hard, driven by his intense dislike for losing. He expressed great excitement about the opportunity to perform and “shine.”
Reflecting on his recent performances, Sandhagen feels he hasn`t delivered a truly memorable showing in a couple of years, which he finds disappointing.
This feeling adds extra motivation for Sandhagen to put on a spectacular performance against Figueiredo and create better memories than his recent outings.
He admitted, “I haven`t had a good win in a really long time.” He mentioned his last win against Rob Font, where he tore his tricep and received criticism, and before that, Marlon “Chito” Vera. Sandhagen confessed that his ego misses the feeling of being recognized as “the man” in the MMA world for a few weeks and he hopes to regain that status.
As if he needed more motivation, Sandhagen knows his fight takes place roughly a month before the bantamweight title rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. He believes that if he performs as planned, it will signal to the UFC that he deserves to be the next challenger for the title.
Sandhagen conveyed his enthusiasm, saying, “I can`t tell you how excited I am.” He emphasized his desire to “shine” and believes he is now a good enough performer to just confidently “do my damn thing.” He is determined not to let anything hinder him in this fight and thinks he is capable of finishing Figueiredo, showing up as the best version of himself yet.
He anticipates looking like a “real champion” inside the cage, to the extent that he expects the UFC will feel compelled to give him a title shot immediately after, based on the impressive display he intends to deliver. He concluded by stating how “pumped” he is.
