UFC President Dana White has been known to “zone out” during boring headliners but in the case of UFC Nashville, which took place last weekend in “Music City,” White got up and walked out, perhaps frustrated by the tepid action in the Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font headliner.
Turns out Sandhagen blew out his triceps and was forced to adjust his offense on the fly.
“Fully torn triceps in Round 1,” Sandhagen wrote on social media. “Wasn’t able to punch or elbow with that arm without pain and it feeling like shit. Did what I had to do to win that night. Surgery this week — back soon!”
That depends on your definition of “soon.”
Sandhagen was suspended 180 days with no contact for 30 days, according to Tennessee Athletic Commission (via MMA Junkie). In addition, “The Sandman” will need to be cleared by a doctor before getting licensed to return to combat sports.
Font was suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
The injury to Sandhagen could open the door for top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili. “The Machine” is patiently waiting for the UFC 292 main event later this month in Boston, where Aljamain Sterling defends his 135-pound title against Sean O’Malley.
A victory for Sterling is likely to send “Funk Master” to featherweight.