“Master Full” UFC Des Moines wins title shot

Cory Sandhagen is determined to win the UFC title shot in 2025, starting with the UFC with the ESPN 67 main event victory over Deiveson Figueiredo.

After dropping a unanimous decision to Umar Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight title eliminator in August, Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will attempt to put himself back on the contender path against Figueiredo (24-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) in the headliner of the May 3 event at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa (ESPN2, ESPN+).

With 135 pound champion Merab Dvalishvili hoping Sean O’Malley will have a rematch in his next defense, Sandhagen sees his upcoming fight as the best opportunity to make a statement. He is one of the highly ranked names who hasn’t fought any of the guys, and Sandhagen thinks he wants to see him fight Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) or O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for money if he plays the way he expected.

“I really love fighting,” Sandhagen told MMA Junkie. “I have many advantages in this fight with Figgies. I’ve grown up like a fighter. I’ve lost something close to a man who’s lost close to the champion. I still don’t think I’m far from the belt. I still think one or two fights can still be sure to fight. I’m the only guy who hasn’t fought Merab. Also, the whole world wants to see me and O’Malley wants to fight each other. They’ve begged for that fight, so that’s definitely something I want too.”

“I think this will be a really good year for me. Hopefully, I’ll be in three fights and one of them will be a championship fight. That might be a bit optimistic, but that’s what I’m trying to shoot. I’m just excited to come back. I think I look good against guys like figures. I’m really good with people looking for shots to finish the fight. With Figgy, you have to worry about submissions and knockouts, but I do really well with those guys. I think it’s going to be a fight where you can look really dynamic and perform really well.”

Sandhagen, No. 6 in the latest USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie Bantamweight ranking, said he is looking at the path to victory for both Dvalishvili and O’Malley in a potential rematch for the belt. The 32-year-old loves how he matches with both sides and hopes he will gain support if he can deliver to the 11th-ranked Figueiredo.

“Whether O’Malley or Merab wins or not, I’m the only guy in the top five who’s not fighting Merab,” Sandhagen said. “Then O’Malley is the guy who begs people to have me and him fight for a really long time. I’m sure the way I think I can beat Figsy will be a performance that speaks very loudly to me in my head and then to get the title shot.”

For more information about the card, see the MMA Junkie Event Hub for UFC on ESPN 67.