Cory Sandhagen dismisses Jose Aldo fighting for title next after returning from retirement with dominant victory 

Cory Sandhagen does not believe Jose Aldo's superb performance at UFC 301 warrants him receiving a title shot in his next fight. The former featherweight champion returned to the octagon against Jonathan Martinez after retiring from MMA in 2022.

With many curious how Aldo would look after several years out of the cage, fans across the world were left amazed by the Brazilian, who fought as though he had never retired. He dominated Martinez, a touted prospect, for all three rounds en route to a decision victory.

There were rumors that he had only returned to fight out his UFC contract, with ambitions of big paydays in boxing thought to be the end goal. But after his stellar victory, Aldo stated that he felt he could possibly become the bantamweight champion and appears to be staying in the UFC for the time being.

'The Sandman', who has been a contender for years, shared his thoughts on Aldo being awarded a shot at the title during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. He said this:

"No way, man. I love Aldo, man, Aldo is the absolute man. But you don't get to come back from retirement and then beat a guy way down in the rankings and just fight for the belt. I love Aldo, but definitely not. There's too many good guys in the division for that to be the case."

Watch Cory Sandhagen's interview below from 18:30:

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Cory Sandhagen confirms he will receive the next title shot, should he beat Umar Nurmagomedov

Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov are scheduled to face off in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3.

The pair were previously set to clash in August 2023, but the Dagestani was forced out of the contest several weeks before fight night due to a shoulder injury.

'The Sandman' instead faced Rob Font, whom he defeated via decision after overcoming some adversity when he tore his tricep muscle off the bone.

But with Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov being scheduled to face off once again, the American confirmed that he will likely face the winner of Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, should he win.

During his recent interview with Ariel Helwani, the perennial contender said this:

"Hunter [Campbell] was telling me, 'Look, I don't know how it's not you after this fight. After Merab and O'Malley fight.' When I talked to Hunter, that was relayed to me that he doesn't see a way it's not me." [5:35-5:55 in Cory Sandhagen's aforementioned interview]