SAN ANTONIO – Cory Sandhagen doesn’t talk trash. He isn’t the most active on social media, and callouts aren’t his style.
For Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), that’s not what’s important – even if perhaps it gives others the promotability advantage over him. Sandhagen wants to be known for his fighting style, both offensive and defensive.
“I don’t really dig a lot of the attention maybe like other people do, which is fine,” Sandhagen told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I express myself a lot in the cage. I like expressing that piece of me. I like looking back and watching the Yan fight and the Song fight before the fifth round and knowing that’s in my heart. That’s one of the most fun things for me in this sport, just being able to express that piece of me because I don’t really do it in everyday life.”
In Sandhagen’s opinion, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 headliner against Marlon Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) at AT&T Center could be the perfect fight for him to showcase such skills and build his brand without opening his mouth. He’s eager to capitalize on the opportunity.
“I learned that you only get to fight these dudes once,” Sandhagen said. “Like nine times out 10, you only get to prove you’re better than these guys just once. That wakes me up now. That wakes me up. I don’t care about anything other than beating ‘Chito’ on Saturday night. It’s because the likelihood of me being able to prove I’m better than this dude is only on one night.
“I’m going to go out, fight my ass off, do everything I can to win. If I get to do whatever the hell I want, I’ll do whatever the hell I want. I don’t anticipate that happening. I’m going to have to make adjustments. If the dog has to come out of me to win a fight, then the dog will come out, too. I’m ready to do whatever I’ve got to do to win because I know this is my only one crack at beating this guy.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.
