Cory Sandhagen wants his shot, and he’s making it clear he believes he deserves it before anyone else.
The former interim title challenger (18-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is campaigning for a rematch with reigning bantamweight champion Petr Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC), pushing back against growing chatter about a second meeting between Yan and Sean O'Malley(19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC).
Yan reclaimed the 135-pound title in December at UFC 324, defeating Merab Dvalishvili (the same man who dethroned O’Malley in 2024) to become a two-time champion. In the aftermath, O’Malley has publicly called for a rematch with Yan, whom he defeated via contentious split decision in 2022 before eventually capturing the belt himself.
But Sandhagen believes the more compelling and merit-based matchup is Yan vs. Sandhagen II.
Speaking in an interview with ONX Sports, Sandhagen questioned why his name isn’t at the forefront of the title conversation.
“I try not to be a hater and be a jealous person or whatever, but I’m like, ‘Yo, why are we not talking about me and Yan fighting again?’” Sandhagen said. “When me and Yan had a killer fight, it was a performance of the night. It was five rounds.”
The two previously met at UFC 267 in 2021, where Yan earned a five-round unanimous decision to capture the interim bantamweight title in a high-paced, technical battle widely regarded as one of the division’s best fights in recent memory.
Sandhagen also pointed to recent results to bolster his case. He highlighted O’Malley’s loss to Dvalishvili and a narrow win over Song Yadong, contrasting that with his own dominant stoppage victory over Song, which resulted in a broken orbital bone and surgery.
“Give me a little bit of freaking credit,” Sandhagen said. “That’s the fight that there is to make.”
