Should fight: Winner of Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259
Why they should fight: I mean, come on? Does this one really need much of an explanation? Cory Sandhagen has made about as good of a case for a bantamweight title shot as you can possible ask for his in past two fights, with his killer knockout of Frankie Edgar being his crowning achievement.
Listen to Sandhagen’s (14-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) argument below from the post-fight press conference, where he perfectly brushes off the notion he should fight T.J. Dillashaw next instead of waiting to see what happens in the UFC 259 title fight between Yan and Sterling on March 6 (via Twitter):
Cory Sandhagen (@cors_life) says talk for the next title shot starts and stops with him after flattening Frankie Edgar. 🗣️#UFCVegas18 | Full interview: https://t.co/ce2jHRjEs3 pic.twitter.com/8KMQwMhzWc
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) February 7, 2021
Where is the gap in logic here? I don’t see one. Unless something freaky happens in Yan (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) vs. Sterling (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), such as a draw, an utterly astonishing judging robbery, some sort of bizarre referee blunder or injury finish that demands an immediate rematch, Sandhagen should be the guy to slide in to fight the winner for the 135-pound belt.
Yeah, the likes of Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt and Jose Aldo might be more marketable, but none of them have the worth of Sandhagen at this point, even when taking his quick loss to Sterling at UFC 250 in June into account.
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-fight-night-184-next-fight-matchmaker-cory-sandhagen-frankie-edgar-beneil-dariush