Don’t expect Corey Sandhagen to fight in the Big Apple.
Following Deveson Figueiredo’s impressive second round TKO in Deveson Figueiredo, “The Sandman” should be the next man to rule bantamweight world champion Merab Dvalishvili.
Don’t expect their expected title clash to fall this November when the UFC returns to Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena.
“I hate fighting in New York. The state taxes are crazy,” Sandhagen told MMA Fighting. “December in Vegas is really good for me.”
The first crack in Sandhagen with undisputed gold took a long time. He came close a few times, but ultimately ran out of title eliminator against Al Jaman Sterling before he surrendered a unanimous decision to Petruyan in the interim championship match four years ago.
Despite the set-up, Sandhagen’s goals in the fight game always remain the same.
“I never really cared about stars or famous things. My goal was to be the best fighter in the world with a 135. That’s what’s important to me. People with a belt couldn’t care much.
“The Sandman” was 4-1 with his last five, and the only loss was incurred against Umar Nurmagomedov.
As for Dvalishvili, “The Machine” is a rematch that no one really wants, refreshing from the dominant submission victory over Sean O’Malley. No official date has been announced that Georgian has returned to the octagon, but if Sandhagen wishes his wish, they will close UFC 2025 with “Sin City” this Christmas.