On Saturday, Dana White thought that Cory Sandhagen had won the fight against Marlon Vera, even though not all judges agreed. People were surprised that only a few people chose his victory. Additionally, Dana White was also one of those who clearly saw how Cory Sandhagen managed to earn the win.
“When I came out of the bathroom, I was very surprised.” White added at the post-fight press conference when asked about his thoughts on the main event verdict. “It could have been either 5-0 or 4-1 but instead it was a split decision – That’s unbelievable!”
Sandhagen was in control of the fight against Vera for most of its duration. He used his wresting skills with great range striking to keep “Chito” confused and two of the judges gave him a win.
Though Sandhagen didn’t manage to finish off Vera, White still praised his performance. He said that Sandhagen looked great as he kept Vera under control with his footwork, lateral movement and takedowns.
Vera usually does very well in fights and had won 10 out of his last 12 before Saturday’s headliner. However, it was the first time he lost since December 2020 and the boss wishes Vera could have shown more energy during the last two rounds.
The fighter Chito was not looking very strong during his fight against Dominick. His corner even said, ‘You’ve got two rounds left, so you need to try your best and finish the fight!’.
White thinks that Sandhagen is an important contender to watch at the 135-pound weight level. Last time, Sandhagen was given a chance to fight for an interim title at UFC 267, though he eventually lost in a five-round match with Petr Yan. In the upcoming May 6 match at Newark, N.J., current Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will be defending his title against former two-division champion Henry Cejudo.
After he won his fight, Sandhagen asked to have a match against Merab Dvalishvili – who is close friends with Sterling and they train together. UFC President Dana White said it’s not clear if that will be next for him, but thinks Sandhagen soon can compete for a championship belt.
White said, “It was obvious that he did really well tonight and beat the world’s number three. It wasn’t a close result, so anyone who thought it was should reconsider. Our fighter completely dominated and put himself in good shape.”
