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Cory Sandhagen was impressed with Steve Erceg's skillset far before most fans and fighters, many of whom only became aquainted with the Australian at UFC 301. The No.10 ranked flyweight faced Alexandre Pantoja for the title in the main event of the pay-per-view card.
Despite losing via decision, Erceg pushed reigning champion Pantoja to the limit through the five-round clash and was commended by all corners of the MMA world.
'The Sandman', who has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of martial arts, was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. He complimented the Australian for his skillset, and revealed he had messaged Erceg, hoping to train together.
He said:
"I've been watching him the whole time he's been in the UFC. I shot him a message because I wanted to know where he lived 'cause I wanted to train with him. I think he's a really sharp guy. He's definitely a nice mix of athlete and thinker... Not all fighters are super capable of articulating and describing what they're doing."
He continued:
"That doesn't make them not good fighters, it makes them not good guys to learn from. I'm really interested in learning from guys that can explain what they're doing. He definitely seems like I could learn a lot from him."
Watch Cory Sandhagen's praise of Steve Erceg below from 19:00:
Cory Sandhagen looks forward to solving the "problem" that is Umar Nurmagomedov
Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov have been rescheduled to clash in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3.
They were initially meant to fight at UFC Nashville in August 2023, before Nurmagomedov picked up a shoulder injury that forced him to withdraw.
The Dagestani is one of the most touted prospects in the division, and currently holds a 17-0 record. After already having spent 10 weeks training to fight him, 'The Sandman' is more than confident he can "solve" Nurmagomedov. During a recent interview with Demetrious Johnson, he said:
"I get a real kick on figuring out how to beat these really good athletes and how to beat these guys, like the Nurmagomedov family has zero losses. I was really excited for the challenge to actually go out and figure out that problem, because he does have a super unique style to him, too. I felt like I had the answer to the problem."
Watch Cory Sandhagen's interview below from 7:20:
