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There was an outside chance that Cory Sandhagen was going to stay in the UFC Fight Night 166 line up, but that would have required opponent, Frankie Edgar, to have a strong showing against Chan Sung Jung last weekend in Busan.
Instead, “The Answer” — who replaced an injured Brian Ortega on short notice — was smashed by “The Korean Zombie” and slapped with a lengthy medical suspension, which means his bantamweight debut will be put on hold.
“I’m not mad, I understand money is a part of life,” Sandhagen wrote on social media. “I just hate that aspect of society and I’m not at a place where dollars are more important than legacy. Frankie’s not in the same boat because he’s already solidified a legacy and I’m bummed I can’t fight such a legend. I trained this AM so I’m not butt hurt anymore. The ship sails on!”
The No. 4-ranked Sandhagen (12-1) is one of the more promising prospects at 135 pounds, racking up five straight wins since joining the promotion roughly two years back. That includes last April’s decision victory over veteran contender, Raphael Assuncao.
“With Henry The Hall Monitor still on his power trip and wanting to fight a guy that lost (I know it was close, but on paper [Jose] Aldo lost), who’s next for me?” Sandhagen continued. “A No. 1 contender fight with [Dominick] Cruz or [Marlon] Moraes makes most sense. They would be great fights for fans to watch. Aljamain is hurt, and Yan is a fight that makes more sense down the road.”
Or the promotion might just have him wait for Edgar.