“I get a real kick out of trying to figure out how to beat these really good athletes… guys like the Nurmagomedov family who’ve got zero losses.” Cory Sandhagen wasn’t just talking the talk on Demetrious Johnson’s Mighty podcast—he truly believed he was going to be the guy to hand Umar Nurmagomedov his first professional loss. But reality had other plans. ‘The Sandman’ came in hunting for a win. Instead, Team Khabib’s ‘Young Eagle’ served him a masterclass and sent him home with a hard lesson. Now, with his next fight against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines coming up, the top-ranked 135-pounder has been doing some reflecting.

Sandhagen was feeling good the first time he got matched up with Umar Nurmagomedov, which was supposed to be UFC on ESPN 50—August 3, 2023. He was ready to show out, but then, it didn’t happen. Umar pulled out a few weeks before the event owing to a shoulder injury. So, Sandhagen handled the business against Rob Font instead. That made it three straight wins in a row, paving his way to a championship bout. Fast forward, nearly a year later, the duo finally met at UFC Abu Dhabi, and it didn’t go how ‘The Sandman’ probably pictured it. Khabib’s cousin just dominated him, with all the judges scoring a unanimous decision win.

Sandhagen has always been known for his calculated, technical approach inside the cage. But in a fight as crucial as that one, his approach didn’t pay off. The loss was a major setback, knocking him back in the line for a title shot once again. Speaking with MMA Fighting, the current #4-ranked bantamweight reflected on the defeat and said, “Umar fight, I feel like a frustration loss me that fight a little bit. I kinda went in with the framework and with the perspective that he was going that he was gonna be very hard to hit. Instead og just being like, ‘Oh, okay! That’s something to expect,’ it frustrated me more because I was like, ‘But, I’ve trained so hard in order to make it, so that I can hit a difficult guy, since it’s still not working, this is making me frustrated.”

He added, “So it kind of spiraled from there. And then I think anytime that you get away from your natural way of winning, things usually don’t go well against the top guys in the world. A lot of the fight was going to be determined by who landed the more significant shots, or at least that I thought it’d be. Where I just should’ve run my normal gameplan of good martial arts until they make a mistake and then jump on’em instead of like half good martial arts.”

Sandhagen further added, “And then forcing things that aren’t there, cause forcing things that aren’t there against good guys just flat out doesn’t work. So, frustration kind of lost me that one and I’m still kicking myself in the butt, when I watched that, even though it was like 4-1 or something like that all of those rounds were really close and if I could’ve done a couple of things differently, I would’ve won. But, that’s kind of a story of mine that I’m like really good at almost winning these fights. So, I got to figure out how to actually get these close rounds bagged.”

‘The Sandman’ isn’t wrong when he looks back at his journey. He has come painfully close to a title shot more than once, but each time, something knocks him right back. Remember the razor-close split decision loss to T.J. Dillashaw? That one stung! Then, when Dillashaw had to step away with a knee surgery and Aljamain Sterling wasn’t available for the neck issues, Sandhagen found himself right back in the mix, fighting Petr Yan for the interim belt. Everything had lined up. The stars were aligned. But again, it just didn’t go his way. It’s been a story of near-misses for Sandhagen. Right there at the door, only to get turned away at the last second!

Now, Cory’s gearing up for another big one—taking on former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event of UFC Des Moines. After all the setbacks, all the hard lessons, he’s back on track. The title dream? Still alive. Still burning. But this time, it hits differently. Sandhagen’s not looking sideways. No doubts, no distractions. He’s locked in, and he’s nothing but excited for what’s next!

Cory Sandhagen wants to shine at UFC Des Moines against Deiveson Figueiredo

Cory Sandhagen knows the road to bantamweight gold is looking a bit longer now, but he’s not counting himself out. It’s not over—not by a long shot. But to get there, he knows he has to start fresh. That means putting on his best performance and getting past a tough opponent like Deiveson Figueiredo. After all, the Brazilian has looked sharp against Petr Yan (in a losing effort, though) and absolutely dominated Marlon Vera. This is no walk in the park. Cory’s aware of the challenge ahead, and that’s exactly what gets him excited for this fight.

Sandhagen continued his interview in MMA Fighting, and said, “I can’t tell you how excited I am. I just really want to shine, and I think that I’m a good enough performer now where I can really just go out and do my damn thing now. I’m not going to let anything stop me in this one. I’m definitely I think I’m going to be able to finish Figueiredo. I think that I’m going to show up the best version that I’ve ever been. I think that I’m going to look like a real champion in there to the point where the UFC is going to have to give me a shot after this one, just with how impressive I plan on looking. I’m pumped.”

That’s great, coming from the bantamweight contender. Cory Sandhagen has found the motivation he needed to pursue his dreams. But, what do you think? Can he secure the win against a tough contender like the former flyweight champ? Please comment below.