Cory Sandhagen has golden alternative inside grasp earlier than UFC headliner

Little goes “based on plan” in blended martial arts, says Cory Sandhagen.

“I really feel just like the newbie days in MMA actually put together you for the form of s–t present that this sport can generally really feel like it’s,” the top-flight UFC bantamweight not too long ago mentioned throughout a cellphone dialog with The Submit, “so far as issues simply not going to plan for causes which are form of nobody’s fault.”

Living proof: Sandhagen’s initially scheduled contest in opposition to Umar Nurmagomedov fell aside in mid-July after the rising star — a cousin of Corridor of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov — suffered what he known as a shoulder harm in coaching.

As younger Nurmagomedov walked out the door, in got here Rob Font — who himself equally misplaced upcoming opponent Music Yadong — to not simply salvage the primary occasion for the UFC’s return to Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) however, when it comes to station within the rankings, improve the struggle.

Not that Sandhagen (16-4, 10 finishes) was dissatisfied with the unique matchup, one he assessed as “an thrilling struggle that I do know that folks have been gonna watch.”

However that’s not the one factor that was to come back together with a possible victory over Nurmagomedov, as Sandhagen’s profession stood to profit with a return to the championship image.

“[The Nurmagomedov fight was] bringing a No. 1 contender spot to me that was provided to me by the UFC if I took the Umar struggle,” Sandhagen explains, “as a result of nobody else needed to struggle him.”

It’s unclear if these stakes carry over for Sandhagen on this new matchup — even because the struggle falling aside was by no fault of his personal — however the 31-year-old acknowledged that such selections at all times relaxation with decision-makers like UFC president Dana White.

That mentioned, Sandhagen says that, by and huge, “they’re very set on having me, if I win, be the following particular person to struggle for the belt.”

Who Sandhagen would even face for the championship, if he can maintain enterprise in opposition to Font (20-6, 13 finishes) of their 140-pound catchweight headliner, is a complete different branching story.

Aljamain Sterling, who topped Sandhagen three years in the past, will make his fourth 135-pound title protection on Aug. 19 in opposition to colourful star Sean O’Malley, however the champ might transfer as much as 145 kilos with one other victory because the Lengthy Island native has indicated all through this 12 months.

The way in which Sandhagen sees it, a victory this weekend places him on a collision course with both Sterling, O’Malley, or Sterling teammate and good good friend Merab Dvalishvili — who holds the highest spot within the UFC rankings however refuses to struggle his buddy even for championship glory.

“That’s about so far as I’ve thought of it as a result of I’ve different fish to fry first,” Sandhagen says.

Font, to extrapolate from the idiom, is sort of a seasoned fish.

The 36-year-old Font has, like Sandhagen, been a staple of the higher degree of the bantamweight rankings for years and has risen near the highest earlier than struggling setbacks.

“Preventing Rob Font is a special sort of problem as a result of Rob is tremendous seasoned,” Sandhagen mentioned. “And he’s had his ups and downs and his fair proportion of adversity within the UFC, which I feel brings out the perfect in individuals.

“So Rob does pose completely different challenges, however I wish to beat Rob simply as dangerous as I needed to beat Umar. And that’s how I really feel about each single person who I face.”

And whereas Font is a brand new opponent to which Sandhagen should regulate, the Colorado native believes it’s fortuitous that the opponent flipped from Nurmagomedov, extra recognized for his grappling, to Font, who sometimes retains the struggle standing, and never the opposite manner round.

“I do like that I’m switching from Umar to Font after which not Font to Umar as a result of I’m tremendous aware of preventing this kind of particular person,” Sandhagen explains. “I’ve been doing it for a extremely very long time now. It’s a method that I really feel like I’ve quite a lot of actually good and acquainted solutions with. So the matchup itself, so far as Rob goes as martial arts fashion, [I’m] extraordinarily aware of and really comfy preventing that sort of particular person on two weeks’ discover.”