UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen revealed he suffered serious injuries in his fight against Mario Bautista at UFC 329.
In a rematch that was seven years in the making after Sandhagen submitted Bautista back in 2019, this time around it was Bautista who got the last laugh when he won a unanimous decision over Sandhagen, with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 on the UFC 329 main card.
It was a very close fight, and one that seemed like it could have gone either way, but in the end, the judges felt that Bautista had done more damage and was the more effective grappler, giving him the win.
Cory Sandhagen Says He Was Injured in Mario Bautista Fight
Taking to his social media two days after UFC 329, Sandhagen shared a photo where it was clear that his leg was severely damaged by Bautista in the fight. According to Sandhagen, he believes that Bautista’s kneebar attempt in the first round tore his hamstring. He said he will be getting an MRI this week to assess the damage, and then we’ll find out more about the severity of it. But something is wrong based on the photo Sandhagen shared on Instagram.
“Frickin bummer man. Losing in fighting is the most embarrassing thing ever. Sucks. . Pretty sure the knee bar tore my hamstring in the first (getting MRI this week). It kept locking out weird if I did certain things. So that kind of messed up my game plan. . Congrats to Mario. He was well prepared. 1st was close but he won it with that knee bar. 2nd, I won (surprisingly cause leg was jacked). 3rd, I wanted to have the same round as before but got dropped. Gotta fight near perfect to win at the top. Something I need to get better at. . Appreciate the love from you guys. Enjoy your week. Love you. Peace,” Sandhagen wrote.
Tough Loss for Cory Sandhagen
Entering this fight coming off a decision loss to former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in his last bout, Sandhagen was favored to get his hand raised here against Bautista. Instead, he lost, and it dropped his ranking at 135 lbs, with Bautista moving up to No. 4 at 135 lbs and Sandhagen falling to No. 5 in the weight class.
Obviously, that’s not a super-far-down drop in the rankings, but it’s a drop nonetheless, and Sandhagen has also lost three of his last four fights overall, so he’s in a tough spot going forward.
He’s obviously an exciting fighter, but it does feel like he’s already had his best days in the weight class and that other contenders have passed him by at this point in his career.
Plus, he looks to be seriously injured, and if he did tear his hamstring, he’ll certainly be out for a while, healing up and recovering before he can get back into the gym and make a comeback.
When he does come back to the Octagon, look for Sandhagen to fight someone in the top-15 rankings, but he won’t be getting someone ranked in the top five like Bautista was.
Cory Sandhagen Reveals Serious Injuries in Mario Bautista Fight