"It's trending in the right direction"- Cory Sandhagen believes fighters and coaches need to adapt to changes in MMA judging criteria

Cory Sandhagen has suggested that fighters, coaches, and other MMA professionals must adapt to the changes in MMA judging criteria. Sandhagen is regarded as one of the top bantamweights today in the world's premier MMA organization, the UFC.

As alluded to on the UFC's official website, for the past several years, the UFC organization has followed the 'Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.' The current MMA ruleset prioritizes damage over control.

In a recent interview with TSN's Aaron Bronsteter, Cory Sandhagen alluded to the same and asserted that damage inflicted upon an opponent is gradually being given more importance than grappling-centric control in MMA judging.

Watch Sandhagen's interview with Bronsteter below:

Cory Sandhagen explained that the MMA world is in a transition period, wherein the "criteria is supposed to be damage, but traditionally things get scored on control." The striking savant appeared to suggest that some judges still prioritize control, primarily top position and top position time, over damage.

Alternatively, he feels other judges adhere to the current ruleset and score fights based on damage. 'The Sandman' highlighted that many fighters and their teams are confused owing to the ambiguity in the judging criteria, resulting in uncertainty in their fight strategy.

The 31-year-old implied that in regards to the aspects of control and damage, many fighters are confused about how much of either aspect to prioritize. Sandhagen, who himself recently experienced questionable MMA judging, stated:

"It's kind of just like a weird in-between piece. I do like the way that it's trending. As far as the MMA judging is going, I do like that it's trending in the direction of damage. Because, in my opinion, that is what fighting is. It's not wrestling, which is a lot of control stuff. Fighting is about doing damage to the person."

He added:

"So, I think it's trending in the right direction. But it is kind of in this weird space right now; where I think fighters, and coaches, and people that have to compete in the sport don't know how much to weigh which one more than the other, which is difficult. But yeah."

Watch Sandhagen discuss the topic in the video below:

---

What's next for UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen?

Cory Sandhagen is fresh off a split decision victory over Marlon Vera in March 2023. Sandhagen, who's previously fought for the interim UFC bantamweight title, presently holds the No. 4 spot in the official UFC bantamweight rankings.

Ahead of him are the No. 3-ranked Henry Cejudo, the No. 2-ranked Sean O'Malley, and the No. 1-ranked Merab Dvalishvili.

Reigning undisputed UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is scheduled to defend his title against Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 on August 19th, 2023. Besides, Cejudo and Dvalishvili are recovering from injuries.

Sterling has hinted at moving up to featherweight after UFC 292. Many foresee Cory Sandhagen potentially competing for the undisputed UFC bantamweight title soon, provided Sandhagen beats Rob Font in their upcoming 140-pound catchweight bout on August 5th, 2023.