Cory Sandhagen reminded the world why he remains a top contender in the UFC bantamweight division with his TKO victory over Song Yadong at UFC Vegas 60. He called out rising star Marlon “Chito” Vera at the time, and in a recent episode of The MMA Hour doubled down on the callout, stating that the matchup “makes more sense” than any other offering in the division right now.
“I think Chito makes more sense. I don’t mind the fight with Merab either, but Chito has a lot more pull behind him – he’s coming off a big win against [Dominick] Cruz, an impressive win against Cruz too. He’s finishing people, and honestly, from what I’ve seen on social media, it’s what a lot of the fans want to see, too. After Chito beat [Rob] Font, he called out guys in the top-five and then went and fought backwards.”
Sandhagen Doubles Down on “Chito” Vera Callout
Sandhagen also addressed rumors that Marlon Vera, a popular fighter, is in line for a title shot before him. “I also heard from someone that he was potentially in talks for getting a title shot, and I was like, ‘That guy can’t get a title shot already.’
I definitely don’t think that should be the case. Chito should definitely have one more, and if it’s against me, that would be fantastic for the both of us.
Cruz was ranked No. 8 or whatever. I’ve been fighting all of these top-five guys for the last two or three years of my life. He beat Cruz, and a lot of his wins that he’s having aren’t super stellar. He’s winning most of the minutes.
He’s getting good shots in, which is great for him, he’s figuring out ways to win, but he’s not showing that he’s beating these guys beating them, which is different. Have me and Chito fight, and let’s find out.”
Sandhagen wants to fight “Chito” before the end of the year, preferably in another main event. “If we could do another one at the end of the year.
I don’t know what the card situation is, if they’re all filled or whatever. I think that I deserve another main event, so if those aren’t all booked out, but if they are, January is OK, too.”
Do you think Cory Sandhagen will be relegated to bantamweight gatekeeper, or will he manage to put together the beginnings of a winning streak should he face Chito Vera? Let us know your prediction in the comments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_2YoG-OmZU
