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Cory Sandhagen will be keeping a close eye on the bantamweight title rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley at UFC 316. Sandhagen is positioning himself as the next challenger if he beats Deiveson Figueiredo and walks out healthy.
The American fighter is also willing to fly to Newark, New Jersey, to serve as a backup fighter on short notice. Sandhagen also highlighted in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA that he's the only top-five bantamweight who hasn’t fought either O'Malley or Dvalishvili.
Shedding light on his plans to serve as the backup fighter for the UFC 316 main event, Sandhagen said:
"If O'Malley wins and I beat Figgy in a big way, I think the UFC will want to book me vs. him. I’m the only one in the top five who hasn’t fought Merab. That’s a strong argument... Oh yeah, that’s definitely my plan. I come out of that, you know, no injuries that are going to put me out of fighting the next month, I’m definitely just going to be in the gym on Monday, training for being a backup."
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He added:
"I think at this point, I've got to do everything that I've got to do. And I’ve never been the guy to want anything given to him. If they want me to be the backup… I’ll still be the backup just to put myself in the best position that I can. I want this damn title shot so bad.”
Check out Cory Sandhagen's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA below:
Cory Sandhagen is gearing up to showcase the "best version" of himself against Deiveson Figueiredo
Cory Sandhagen seems confident going into the matchup against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Iowa.
Sandhagen believes he's at his peak and ready to deliver the best version of himself. He’s determined to shine in the cage and expects to finish Figueiredo spectacularly. Previewing the matchup in an interview with MMA Fighting, Sandhagen said:
"I can’t tell you how excited I am. I just really want to shine, and I think that I’m a good enough performer now where I can really just go out and do my damn thing now. I’m not going to let anything stop me in this one. I’m definitely I think I’m going to be able to finish Figueiredo. I think that I’m going to show up the best version that I’ve ever been. I think that I’m going to look like a real champion in there to the point where the UFC is going to have to give me a shot after this one, just with how impressive I plan on looking. I’m pumped.”
Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments below (22:50):
