Sandhagen looked like a much more active fighter in the opening round, chipping away at Vera’s lead leg and then attacking him with a plethora of ground and pound strikes.
Vera defended Sandhagen’s attempts to get the fight to the ground early in the second round, but he was still outworked. Sandhagen landed a good uppercut early in the third, but Vera stuffed it and then started to come back.
Preliminary Rounds
UFC ON ESPN: VERA VS SANDHAGEN will go down on Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas. The main event sees bantamweight contenders Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen put their titles on the line in a showdown that should be one of the more exciting fights of the evening.
Sandhagen has been a standout in recent months, and the veteran will likely need to continue his dominance in this fight to earn a title shot. The former Strikeforce champion has a superior striking accuracy rate (50%) and takesdown defense (66%) to Vera, but the real key is the way he blends head movement, lateral movement and feints to keep Vera from making clear reads in the early rounds.
The first round was a bit slow, but Sandhagen started to pick away and get Vera in positions that allowed him to pressure him on the feet. He landed a couple of jabs and low kicks, but was not able to establish an uppercut yet.
The second round saw Sandhagen take Vera down and work to side control, where he pressed forward. He landed a few short punches before shifting levels and taking Vera down again. He applied a guillotine choke but Vera escaped. The third was a more solid effort from Vera, who pressed the pace and landed some punches.
Round 1
Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen will square off in a bantamweight clash on Saturday, May 20 at UFC ON ESPN. The bout will take place at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Sandhagen has been in a bit of a losing streak, but he’s still a dangerous striker who can keep fights going on the feet. He also possesses good grappling skills and can level change to disrupt the pace of a fight.
But what really makes him tough to understand is his striking. He uses Dominick Cruz’s movement in the octagon, throws with high output, and has a wide variety of strikes on the feet – including elbows.
Against a fighter like Vera, who is known for being a dangerous knockout artist, Sandhagen used a variety of feints, footwork and takedown attempts to keep him on his toes in the early rounds.
He absorbed a few hard left hands from Vera, but he more than held his own on the feet. He racked up some offense with his elbows from top position and also made good use of leg kicks throughout the fight.
After a split decision, Sandhagen improved to 16-4 and secured his second win in a row. He will now be a contender for the UFC bantamweight title.
Round 2
The main event of UFC on ESPN 43 is the bantamweight fight between contenders Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen. Both men are ranked in the Top 5 and looking to move into title fight consideration.
The two fighters made weight Friday and tipped the scales at 136 pounds each. They will now compete in the main event of Saturday’s card at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Round 2 begins with Vera taking down Sandhagen on a takedown attempt. He quickly gets into half guard and looks to land short shots and keep Sandhagen tight.
Sandhagen pops his head out a minute in and settles into side control, staying tight. He hasn’t done as much damage so far this round but he is still landing short shots and keeping Vera off his back.
Sandhagen tries a flying knee but it just misses. He lands another uppercut but it’s blocked. He then goes for a body kick but it’s swept away and Vera keeps moving forward aggressively.
Round 3
Cory Sandhagen opened the third round of his UFC on ESPN fight with a big first round. He pressed Vera forward, changed his stance and took him down. He landed punches and elbows before moving to side control. He stayed on top until Vera scrambled to his feet with 90 seconds left in the round.
In the opening round, Sandhagen used head movement, lateral movement and feints to prevent Vera from making clear reads. He also threw more low kicks than usual and switched stances to create more angles for his takedown attempts.
Then Sandhagen threw a jab and a leg kick. He also threw a body shot.
Sandhagen had a better opening round than the second. He threw more low kicks and a few jabs.
But Vera was not going away and he kept working. He threw a combo to the body and a straight right hook to the head. He also threw a hook kick.
Despite the fact that Sandhagen is a much more active fighter to start, Vera has an advantage in the overall fight as he possesses better striking accuracy and takedown defense. He also has a higher knockdown percentage than Sandhagen.
Round 4
Vera is a tough, fast bantamweight with enormous power. He is also incredibly efficient and can be devastating when in the clinch where he is often able to land slicing elbows or heavy knees.
Sandhagen, on the other hand, is a taller, more rangy fighter who has an excellent striking output and can mix in takedowns throughout a fight to keep opponents guessing or even win the last seconds of a close round. His style is a little bit different than most fighters, as he tends to start his rounds with combinations that can be easily started or ended by a kick, then look for more aggressive strikes when he gets an opportunity.
He has only lost 7 of his 18 professional fights, and is looking to earn a shot at the UFC bantamweight title after winning his last two outings. He will be looking to put on a show in this one, as he’s a great prospect who could easily make a splash at the top of the division.
Round 5
In the round 5 of VERA VS SANDHAGEN on UFC ON ESPN, Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen continue to battle it out. They fight at a slow pace to start the round, but Sandhagen manages to get Vera down.
Vera tries to roll away but Sandhagen grabs him and takes him down again. He gets Vera on his back and then uses kicks from the body to rip him down.
The round continues as both fighters try to break the stalemate. However, Vera lands a big punch and then a head kick.
After this, Vera tries a spinning back kick and a leaping knee but both miss. This sets up Sandhagen to land a leg kick.
Both fighters are dangerous in the striking department, but Vera possesses more threatening and damaging attacks. He has the ability to inflict massive amounts of damage by combining his front kicks, head kicks and power rear boxing. Combined with his high output and sensitivity to pressure, Vera is one of the most feared strikers in the bantamweight division.
Final Round
Vera and Sandhagen entered the final round clinging to a tiebreak in their bantamweight fight. Vera was hoping to gain ground with a win over Sandhagen, who came in following back-to-back losses to current champion Aljamain Sterling and former champ Petr Yan.
Sandhagen jumped right out to an early lead with a takedown, then reigned down Vera’s offense with elbows from top position. The Colorado native also used feints, footwork and takedown attempts to keep his opponent guessing, and he did so effectively against a fighter who has the reputation for being a slow starter.
Both fighters landed good leg kicks throughout the opening round, though Sandhagen was more active than Vera. He shifted his stance to stay close, and his hard body shots landed on the outside.
One minute in, Sandhagen gets a takedown and goes to half guard. He looks for a leg lock, but Vera avoids it and scrambles to his feet with 90 seconds remaining in the round.
Vera pressed forward in the third, but Sandhagen kept him on his feet with a variety of striking. Vera threw two beautiful right uppercuts and some leg kicks, but it was all too late to put Sandhagen away.
