Cory Sandhagen clapped back at Marlon Vera for accusing him of avoiding a fight.
Vera (22-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) said the UFC offered him Sandhagen on short notice for the UFC Fight Night 214 main event Nov. 5, which Sandhagen declined. He took issue with Sandhagen turning the fight down and put him on blast.
“Cory’s been calling me out, and then they offer for us to fight Nov. 5, because something happened in that main event,” Vera said on “The MMA Hour.” “He didn’t accept the fight. So why you f*cking call me out, Cory Sandhagen? Then you don’t have time to make weight or get ready. Don’t call another man out and then don’t be able to dance.”
Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) didn’t deny that he turned down the fight, but the former interim title challenger was just in action a little over a month ago when he forced doctors to stop his headliner against Song Yadong in Round 4, winning the bout by TKO.
He’s happy to take on “Chito” next but would rather have the adequate amount of time to prepare.
“We got Chito, who’s trying to make me sound like I’m the guy that’s afraid to fight him,” Sandhagen said on Instagram. “The UFC offered me that fight on three weeks’ notice after it was about a month after I had fought Yadong. Chito, you called out guys in the top five and then fought down in the rankings and fought Cruz.
“Do I blame you for doing that? Of course I don’t. It’s the draw. But don’t try to make it sound like I’m afraid of you, bro. You can get me after a full camp, and I’d be glad to whoop your ass sometime around February.”
With Sean O’Malley edging Petr Yan with a controversial split decision win this past Saturday at UFC 280, Sandhagen thinks O’Malley should be next for bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who finished T.J. Dillashaw on the same night to retain his title.
Then he wants the winner of his fight with Vera to get the next title shot.
“I think with the division, you gotta give O’Malley the title shot,” Sandhagen said. “Hopefully it pays Sterling pretty good. I hope that they do me and Chito for the No. 1 contender spot.”
