Cory Sandhagen firmly believes he caused Deiveson Figueiredo’s knee injury in UFC Des Moines win

UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen believes he caused Deiveson Figueiredo’s knee injury in his win at UFC Des Moines.

Last night in the main event of UFC Des Moines, Cory Sandhagen showed up. He looked calm, confident and composed, and he managed to finish Deiveson Figueiredo. While some have opted to look at it as an injury-based TKO, others have correctly identified that it was Cory’s work that led to the injury. In picking up the win, he has vaulted himself right back into title contention – and in some style, too.

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Sandhagen has suffered his fair share of setbacks in the UFC and nobody is denying that. With that being said, he also knows how to bounce back pretty effectively. He is a top contender at 135 pounds and if given the opportunity, we firmly believe that he’d be able to cause either Merab Dvalishvili or Sean O’Malley problems.

In terms of the injury, though, Sandhagen explained in his post-fight interview exactly what went down during the transition that led to the finish.

Sandhagen reflects on dominant win over Figueiredo

“If you don’t know how to play 50/50, your knee gets popped,” Sandhagen said about the win after training under noted grappling champion Ryan Hall throughout his career. “It happened to T.J. [Dillashaw], it happened to Figgy.

“If you don’t know how to play that position, you lose and I’m better there. I put him there, I sat up and it popped. That’s how it goes.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

Given some of the wins he’s accumulated over the years, we’d say ‘The Sandman’ has earned the right to challenge for the strap.

Do you believe Cory Sandhagen has done enough to earn a UFC bantamweight championship opportunity? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!