The UFC has finalized a banger of a main event in the bantamweight division that will go down in December. Journalist Marcel Dorff was the first to break the news that Cory “The Sandman” Sandhagen (14-4) will be taking on Song Yadong (19-6-1).
The announcement comes on the heels of many announcements in the bantamweight division. Over the past couple of days we learned that UFC 279 will feature Aljamain Sterling defending his title against TJ Dillashaw.
We also learned that at UFC 278, Jose Aldo will be taking on Merab Dvalishvili. Dominick Cruz and Chito Vera will be fighting in early August and now we’ve learned of this pairing between Sandhagen and Song.
This is a huge opportunity and step up in competition for Song Yadong. The last time we saw him was back in March when he knocked out Marlon Moraes in the first round. Overall, he’s 4-1 in his last five UFC bouts with wins over Moraes and a close decision win over Chito Vera.
UFC’s Sandman Returns
Cory Sandhagen will be making his first octagon appearance in almost a year when he makes the walk in September. The last time we saw him was at UFC 267 when he lost an interim title fight to Petr Yan.
It was the second straight loss for The Sandman who had previously lost a very close split decision to TJ Dillashaw. Sandhagen is just 2-3 in his last five fights, but it’s important to remember who the competition was.
He’s lost to Yan, Dillashaw, and current champion Aljamain Sterling. Sandhagen has shown that he’s one of the very best at 135 pounds, he just hasn’t quite gotten over the hump against the best of the best.
This is a huge fight for both men. Whoever wins will be squarely in the UFC title picture as we get ready to head into 2023.