Title shot in play with ‘masterful’ UFC Des Moines win

Cory Sandhagen is determined to get a UFC title shot in 2025, and it starts with a UFC on ESPN 67 main event win over Deiveson Figueiredo.

After dropping a unanimous decision to Umar Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight title eliminator in August, Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will attempt to put himself back on the contender path against Figueiredo (24-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) in the headliner of the May 3 event at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa (ESPN2, ESPN+).

With expectations that 135-pound champ Merab Dvalishvili will rematch Sean O’Malley in his next defense, Sandhagen is looking at his upcoming fight as a prime opportunity to make a statement. He is one of the highly ranked names who hasn’t fought either man, and Sandhagen thinks there would be fan desire to see him fight Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) or O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for gold if he performs in the manner he anticipates.

“I like the fight a lot,” Sandhagen told MMA Junkie. “I have a lot of advantages going into this fight against Figgy. I’ve grown so much as a fighter. I lost a close one against a guy that lost a close one to the champ. I still don’t think I’m very far off from the belt by any means. I still think that I could one or two fights away for sure. I’m the only guy that hasn’t fought Merab that’s kind of going to be in the talks here pretty soon. I also think the entire world wants to see me and O’Malley fight each other. They’ve been begging for that fight, so that’s one that I definitely want too.

“I think this year is going to be a really good year for me. Hopefully I’ll get in three fights and one of them will be a championship fight. That might be a little optimistic, but that’s what I’m going to shoot for. I’m just excited to get back in. I think that I’m going to look great against a guy like Figgy. I do really well against guys that are hunting for a shot to finish the fight. With Figgy you have to worry about submissions and knockout, but I do really well against those guys and I think it’s going to be a fight where I can look really dynamic and put on a really masterful performance.”

Sandhagen, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, said he sees paths to victory for both Dvalishvili and O’Malley in a potential rematch for the belt. The 32-year-old likes how he matches up with both sides, and hopes he’ll have the support if he can deliver against No. 11-ranked Figueiredo.

“Whether O’Malley or Merab wins, I’m the only guy in the top five that hasn’t fought Merab,” Sandhagen said. “Then O’Malley is someone people have been begging to have me and him fight for a really long time. The way that I think that I can beat Figgy, I’m pretty sure in my head is going to be a performance that speaks very loudly to me getting a title shot next.”

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