Dana White has nothing but praise for Cory Sandhagen.
In the main event of UFC Nashville, Sandhagen took on Rob Font on just a few weeks’ notice after Umar Nurmagomedov had to withdraw from their fight due to an injury. Sandhagen entered the bout with a nagging elbow injury and in the first round he hurt his arm even further which forced him to turn to his wrestling.
Cory Sandhagen ended up taking Rob Font down seven times and had nearly 20 minutes of control time to win a lopsided decision. With that said, it was not the most entertaining fight and Dana White reportedly left his seat in the middle of the fourth round. However, following the result, the UFC boss has nothing but nice things to say about Sandhagen and his performance.
“For the record, Cory Sandhagen tore his tricep off the bone in the first round of that fight. The fact that kid fought is incredible. He’s a f***** stud. He lost an opponent [Umar Nurmagomedov], then took Rob Font, who is a f*****g machine on his feet. Props to the kid for being willing to take any opponent, especially with where he is in the rankings. Nothing but respect for him,” Dana White said to Sports Illustrated.
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The praise is no doubt nice for Cory Sandhagen, especially after reports came out that Dana White had left the fight early. It appears the UFC President is understanding that Sandhagen injured his arm early in the fight which forced him to change his game plan.
After the victory over Font, Sandhagen called for a title shot as he wants the winner of Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley at UFC 292. Whether or not he will get his wish remains to be seen, but White seems fine with the way Sandhagen fought at UFC Nashville, especially after suffering a major injury.
