Dana White reportedly walked out of the UFC Nashville main event between Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font on Saturday night.
Emanating from the Bridgestone Arena in Music City, USA, fans were treated to some memorable moments and highlight-reel-worthy finishes. Unfortunately, neither was present in the evening’s headliner when No. 4 ranked bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen stepped into the Octagon against short-notice replacement opponent, Rob Font.
Throughout the five-round bout, Sandhagen utilized his wrestling skills to stymie the offense of Font. After 25 minutes, ‘The Sandman’ had earned himself a unanimous decision victory on the back of seven takedowns and nearly 20 minutes of control time. Despite the dominant win, Sandhagen did himself no favors when it comes to a potential bantamweight title opportunity. That was made abundantly clear when UFC President Dana White reportedly got up and walked out of the bout in the fourth round.
Twitter account @SpinninBackfist revealed that White had walked out with another individual in attendance corroborating the report.
How Does Cory Sandhagen Fit Into the UFC Bantamweight Title Picture
Though it wasn’t the most exciting win, Cory Sandhagen extended his win streak to three and may have very well solidified himself as the next man in line for a title fight. However, much of that depends on how things play out in the UFC 292 main event between reigning bantamweight world champion Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley later this month. Should O’Malley come out on top, a fight between himself and top-contender Merab Dvalishvili seems to be the most likely scenario.
If the ‘Funkmaster’ retains his title in Bean Town, Sterling has already suggested that he will vacate the title and move up to featherweight, leaving the belt without an owner. Perhaps that would result in Dvalishvili taking on Cory Sandhagen for the vacated crown. It will be interesting to see how things play out at the top of the bantamweight division over the next few weeks.
Does Cory Sandhagen deserve a shot at the 135-pound title following his snoozefest of a win on Saturday night?