Latest news with #Sandhagen
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Potential Matchups Spark Debate: Nurmagomedov vs. O'Malley, Sandhagen vs. Merab
Potential Matchups Spark Debate: Nurmagomedov vs. O'Malley, Sandhagen vs. Merab originally appeared on Athlon Sports. UFC 316 saw the continuation of a dominant title reign for Merab Dvalishvili, who dispatched of the challenger and former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley with a rare north-south Ezekiel choke. With his first finish since 2021, Dvalishvili is undoubtedly the king of the division. Now that the dust has settled, the division is ripe for new potential matchups that will bring fireworks to the deepest division in the UFC. Advertisement The UFC bantamweight division is heating up, and former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson has weighed in on the brewing debates. UFC CEO Dana WhitePhoto by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images On The Mighty Guru show, the MMA legend laid out his ideal scenarios for the 135-pound title picture, emphasizing the need for fresh contenders and solid matchmaking. 'You can do Umar [Nurmagomedov] versus Sean O'Malley when Sean's ready to come back; that'll be a banger fight,' Johnson said, highlighting the fan-friendly potential of a clash between the rising Dagestani star and the flashy former champ. Both O'Malley and Nurmagomedov are coming off of failed title challenges against the current reigning champion, so a match between these two could rebuild both of their resumes with a high-profile win, keeping them around the top of the rankings. Advertisement With O'Malley now on a two-fight skid, Johnson's suggestion of booking him against Umar would allow Cory Sandhagen to step into a title eliminator or even a direct shot at Merab When bringing up Sandhagen, Johnson questioned the UFC's recent tendency to grant title shots off losses, arguing, 'Why not just give Merab vs. Cory? Have Umar fight Sean or Umar fight somebody else to let those guys [earn it]... stop giving title fights off of a loss, how about that?' Sandhagen, who recently rebounded with a technical submission win over former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, has long been a top contender with a stellar resume but has yet to challenge for the undisputed belt. Sandhagen's case for a title shot is bolstered by his recent performances, including wins over Rob Font and Marlon "Chito" Vera. Despite a close loss to Umar in a title eliminator last year, "The Sandman" has consistently faced the division's toughest competition. Advertisement Merab, for his part, seems open to all challenges. After his latest title defense at UFC 316, he called out Sandhagen as the most deserving contender. "He's a new style and we know there is no MMA math,' said Dvalishvili in an interview with Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned. 'The style makes the fight, and Cory, he's a different style. It will be a test for me." Related: UFC Fighter's Brain Tumor Made Weight Cut Impossible, Now Promotion May Cut Her After Third Consecutive Loss Related: UFC 316 Nearly Derailed by Chaos as Crowd Barrier Collapses During Championship Walkout (Video) This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out'
Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out' Cory Sandhagen acknowledges that there's only one way he can dethrone UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) beat Sean O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in even more definitive fashion when he submitted him in their title-fight rematch, which headlined Saturday's UFC 316 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) reacted to Dvalishvili's win. "It was great – Merab did an awesome job," Sandhagen told ESPN on the UFC 316 headliner. "I kind of anticipated that Merab was even going to look better in this fight just when I was thinking about it a little more, and he did awesome. He got the finish, and I'm sure that that's what he was looking for, and I'm happy for him. Me and Merab have a really good rapport together, so I'm happy for him." Sandhagen, who's coming off a finish of Deiveson Figueiredo last month, was in attendance, and is expected to be next in line for Dvalishvili. "I was kind of surprised that O'Malley decided to move as much as he was," Sandhagen said. "That's a very tough thing to do against a guy that's going to press like that. When Merab decides to get aggressive, he gets aggressive, and I'm looking forward to tha. Merab is the best guy in the division. He's maybe one of the best guys in the UFC, and I want to take that guy out." With Dvalishvili on a 13-fight winning streak, Sandhagen says "The Machine" has to be stopped. "Yeah, you've got to knock that guy out," Sandhagen said. "That's it. You've just got to knock that guy out."
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC's Cory Sandhagen: Ilia Topuria way too dangerous of a striker for Islam Makhachev
UFC's Cory Sandhagen: Ilia Topuria way too dangerous of a striker for Islam Makhachev Cory Sandhagen thinks Ilia Topuria would have been too much for Islam Makhachev if they fought. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated his UFC featherweight title for a move up to lightweight to challenge Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) but won't get his desired fight after Makhachev relinquished his belt to go to welterweight. With the power in Topuria's hands, which resulted in back-to-back knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Sandhagen sees Makhachev likely having suffered the same fate. "I'm going to actually go against what most people say, and I honestly think Ilia would win that fight," Sandhagen said on the "Overdogs Podcast." "It's a hot take, but I do. I think his stature is going to be hard to take down for Islam, and I think if those two are standing, I just think that Ilia is a way, way dangerous guy standing, and I just really can't see Islam hurting him because his guard is real good. I think Ilia will win that one." Makhachev will now challenge newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena – a fight which doesn't peak Sandhagen's interest. "I have watched a bunch of JDM's fights, and I know that he's real good, but I don't really want to see JDM fight Islam honestly," Sandhagen said. "I don't really like when someone wins a belt and then they fight a guy from the lower weight class. I kind of want to watch JDM fight at 170 for a bit before too much of that stuff starts happening. I really want to watch Ilia and Islam fight, and I really want to watch Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones fight." As for Topuria, the former champion will still get his opportunity to claim a second belt when he meets Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant 155-pound title in the UFC 317 main event on June 28 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cory Sandhagen criticizes Sean O'Malley's resume, hopes to prove he's better
Cory Sandhagen criticizes Sean O'Malley's resume, hopes to prove he's better UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen believes there are plenty of good fights available at the top of the division, but hopes to mix it up with Sean O'Malley to prove who is better. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) wants to fight for the 135-pound title, first and foremost. He may get the chance to kill two birds with one stone should O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) defeat current champion Merab Dvalishvili in their upcoming title rematch at UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, N.J. "I think I'm sitting in a good spot, I just gotta persuade 'em, you know?" Sandhagen said on "Overdogs Podcast." "I did my best in my last fight." Sandhagen returned to the win column earlier this month with a second-round TKO stoppage of former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. The 33-year-old believes his strength of schedule is solid enough to warrant a title shot next. While Sandhagen admits Petr Yan, whom he fought for an interim title at UFC 267, also has a strong resume, he can't say the same about O'Malley, who landed an immediate rematch after losing to Dvalishvili at UFC 306. "When you think about O'Malley, he's had a good run at stuff, but I think if you fight tough guys for long enough, there's going to be nights where you just don't win, you know what I mean?" Sandhagen said. "Because all of these guys are really good, and I've fought the best guys for a really long time. Not a lot of other people in the division really get to say that except for maybe Yan and Merab. "O'Malley's not really one of those guys that gets to say that he's fought all of the best of the best of the division. I think that when he does that, he's gonna have off nights and he's gonna lose. I sometimes have off nights, and I've lost. That's just how fighting works." Should O'Malley walk away with the title at UFC 316, Sandhagen hopes it leads to a title shot because it's one of the fights fans have wanted to see for some time. Both offer unique striking styles, which makes for an intriguing matchup, and he'll get the opportunity to put online arguments about who's better to rest. "I think that when me and O'Malley fight, I'll get to show that I'm a lot better than him," Sandhagen said. "Unless I get that opportunity, I don't really feel like arguing with the ether of the internet about who's better at what. I think I'll definitely get that opportunity to show that one of these days."
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Cory Sandhagen stops Deiveson Figueiredo in 2nd round
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Bantamweight Cory Sandhagen defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in unexpected fashion on Saturday night, forcing the former two-time flyweight champion to submit due to injury to his left knee after a leg lock gone wrong in Round 2. Round 1 of the top-five main event at UFC Fight Night was all Sandhagen. He took Figueiredo to the ground and overwhelmed him with strikes while not allowing Figueiredo to get comfortable. The fight was over at 4:08 of Round 2. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA) called for a title shot later this year, noting beating someone of Figueiredo's caliber greatly increases his credibility. Meanwhile, Figueiredo (24-5-1) goes back to the drawing board. "I want the winner," Sandhagen said, as he plans to keep tabs on the UFC 316 main event between bantamweights Merab Dvalishvilli and Sean O'Malley on June 7 in Newark, N.J. The co-main event saw former ONE Championship star Reinier de Ridder hand former Penn State wrestling standout Bo Nickal his first loss in MMA, earning a second-round TKO. Middleweight de Ridder (20-2) used a wide-ranging combination and a plethora of knees to finish Nickal (7-1) at 1:53. Welterweight Daniel Rodriguez got the last laugh over Santiago Ponzinibbio, earning a third-round KO in a back-and-forth affair that had spectators on their feet. Rodriguez (19-5) gave respect to Ponzinibbio (31-9) and is seeking to remain active for the rest of the year. Bantamweight Montel Jackson had little issue defeating Daniel Marcos, securing a unanimous decision by 30-27 on all three judges' scorecards. Jackson (15-2) handed Marcos his first loss in 18 fights, while Jackson has won six in a row and showcased a well-rounded skillset with constant pressure in Rounds 2 and 3. Bantamweight Serhiy Sidey won an underwhelming unanimous decision against Cameron Smotherman 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in a wrestle-based bout. Sidey (12-2) has won his last two, while Smotherman (12-5) fell to 1-1 in the promotion. Lightweight Mason Jones opened the UFC Des Moines main card by spoiling the homecoming of Jeremy Stephens with a unanimous decision win, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, to showers of boos from the Wells Fargo Arena crowd. Jones (16-2) controlled the center of the Octagon with effortless boxing and several submission attempts. Stephens (29-22) returned to the UFC for the first time since 2021 after bouncing around across different disciplines, including bare-knuckle boxing. It was the UFC's first trip back to Iowa since June 2000 when UFC 26 took center stage. The promotion will transition out of the Midwest for UFC 315 on May 10 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. --Zain Bando, Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
