Cory Sandhagen has spent years circling the UFC bantamweight title picture without breaking through. He’s competed for gold twice, failed both times, and now finds himself back in familiar territory – needing another word win in one of the deepest divisions.His work at International Fight Week is a familiar face. Seven years after defeating Mario Bautista in Bautista’s third UFC appearance, Sandhagen faced off again in a fight with far greater consequences than his first encounter.Communication comes with different issues. Bautista took it as an opportunity to fight and vowed to finish. Sandhagen doesn’t buy this assessment.In an exclusive interview with Timesofindia.com, Sandhagen discusses how Bautista has changed since their first meeting, why he rejects the fight talk, lessons from his latest defeat, and why he believes a fight with Sean O’Malley makes sense if he gets past Bautista.Source: This is a rematch with Mario after seven years. How is he different now compared to the first one you met in 2019?I think he is a very good batsman now. I think we all are. He’s come a long way, and I think it’s going to be a tough fight.Mario says he’s looking for the ultimate and sees this as a wrestling match. What do you do with this kind of military analysis?I think Mario didn’t even show the most aggressive wrestling I’ve ever seen. He was pushed by Umar by a very large margin. They locked me down, where I was knocked down a few times but I got up right away. So I don’t know what he’s talking about.What do you see as Mario’s greatest strength, and how do you plan to mitigate it?I think Mario’s greatest strength is that he is a very hard working person. They believe in themselves so much, and they never give up. I plan to challenge this by being the same, by having more talent, skill, and effort than him.You’ve had impressive finishes against guys like Edgar and Moraes, as well as smart wins over opponents like Font. What do you think, fight, go for fireworks or settle for a controlled victory?You’re always trying to win with fireworks, but sometimes the other guy does the best thing and you can’t get him out of there. That’s how it is.
Cory Sandhagen vs. Merab Dvalishvili (AP Photo)
After UFC 320 [Merab Dvalishvili]you said that the fight is a success. What went wrong, and how did you go about preparing for Mario?I think if I had a better second round, I would have done better. There were also some technical mistakes I made that are easy to fix, and I think could have changed the outcome of the fight. So it came down to technical errors and not getting hurt badly in the second round.You have become one of top bantamweights for years. How much of a fight is this to prove to yourself that you can handle new fighters like Mario, not just old fighters?I think I have more fights than Mario, so I don’t see him as an up and coming guy. I think he’s been in the UFC for quite some time. I’ve probably been in the UFC a year or two longer than him.
Mario Bautista (Special Arrangements)
So I don’t see him as an up and coming fighter. I just see him as someone who has never fought as big as I have and never fought for titles. I think I’m experienced, but I don’t see him as new to the UFC.Finally, if you win this fight, what do you think the UFC should book? O’Malley, Merab again, or someone else?I think, to be honest, I still have one more fight before I fight for the title. But the only fight the fans want to see is me versus O’Malley.I hope, it will be that. If it’s not O’Malley, then I’m open to anyone or any idea because I know I probably still have one more fight left. But if I beat Mario for sure and do something crazy to win, that might change again. Honestly, though, I think I have one more fight, and I think it should be against O’Malley. I don’t know who will be there.(Watch UFC 329 – McGregor vs Holloway 2 on July 12, 2026, from 6:30 AM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD (Tamil, Telugu & Kannada)