Cory Sandhagen was mostly happy with his performance at UFC Fight Night 210, but he can also empathize with Yadong Song’s situation.
Sandhagen emerged with a technical knockout win after four rounds when the cageside doctor determined Song couldn’t continue due to a significant cut over his left eye. Sandhagen caused the gash when he landed an elbow early in the fight, and the wound got progressively worse as time passed. Sandhagen was confident that he had already seized momentum and would’ve have continued to take control in a fifth round.
“It was definitely a step forward. Song’s a hell of a fighter. I knew that he was gonna be super tough. The guy hits really hard. He defended my takedowns really well,” Sandhagen said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I think I was starting to figure him out as the fight went on, so I was really looking forward to a fifth round.
“That [stoppage] was kind of a bummer. These people that I’m fighting, I feel like I have more in common with them than I do most people, so when I see something upsetting happen to them and the fight is over, I have a lot of compassion for that person. I know that I would be bummed if it happened to me, so I also feel a little bummed for Song. I’m going home the winner because I cut him, so I’ll take it.”
After the fight, it was revealed that two of the cageside judges had the fight tied at two rounds apiece on the scorecards heading into the fifth round, while another had it 3-1 in favor of Sandhagen.
“I knew it was close, but I think I was picking up momentum,” Sandhagen said. “I definitely was going into the fifth round to try to absolutely win that round.”
Song showcased his power early in the bout, including one instance where he clipped Sandhagen in the second stanza. Sandhagen admitted that he felt his opponent’s power, but he drew upon past experience to help him survive adversity.
“He definitiely rocked me,” Sandhagen said. “It took me a second to get my wits under me. I was seeing blurry for 30 seconds and kind of throughout the fight here and there. That fight against (Petr) Yan where I got dropped for the first time helped me get through that moment. I fought through it because I had dealt with it before.”
Meanwhile, Sandhagen’s accurate striking arsenal gradually took its toll, most noticeably with the cut. Song seemed to actually enjoy seeing his own blood, according to Sandhagen.
“I honestly didn’t hink about the cut. I could see the cut going into his mouth,” Sandhagen said. “He’s kind of a freaky dude. He was smiling and enjoying it, he’s one of those kind of guys.”
Sandhagen entered UFC Fight Night 210 in need of a victory following back-to-back losses to Yan and T.J. Dillashaw. The triumph allows him to keep his standing in the bantamweight division, and he already has a couple opponents in mind for his next promotional appearance.
“[Marlon Vera] or Merab [Dvalishvili] are the obvious names,” he said. “Both of them pose different challenges - two completely opposite fighters almost. I don’t really care. Give me one of them for Christmas.”
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