Cory Sandhagen backs his skills against Mario Bautista in high-stakes rematch, as the former title challenger aims to reignite his path to UFC bantamweight gold. Sandhagen, who has twice fallen short in title fights, now faces Bautista seven years after submitting him in 2019. The fight, set during International Fight Week, carries far greater consequences than their first meeting.
Sandhagen acknowledges Bautista’s improvement but dismisses claims of a wrestling advantage. “Mario has shown almost no great offensive wrestling,” Sandhagen said. “He got out-grappled by Umar, whereas I got back up right away. I don’t know what he’s talking about.” Bautista has framed the matchup as a wrestling mismatch and vowed to chase a finish, but Sandhagen remains confident in his technical skills and work ethic.
Reflecting on his defeat to Merab Dvalishvili, Sandhagen pinpointed technical mistakes as the main issue. “If I had a better second round and avoided a few errors, I would have won,” he explained. He believes those fixes are straightforward and will help him against Bautista. Despite Bautista’s evolution, Sandhagen sees himself as the more experienced fighter, having faced tougher competition.
If victorious, Sandhagen eyes a showdown with Sean O’Malley. “The only fight the fans really want is me against O’Malley,” he said. “I think I have one more fight before a title shot, and that should be it.” A decisive win could change that timeline, but Sandhagen remains focused on proving he still belongs among the division’s elite.