Cory Sandhagen spent years bouncing around the UFC bantamweight title picture without breaking through. He challenged for championship gold twice, fell both times, and now finds himself back in familiar territory – needing another statement win in one of the promotion’s deepest divisions.His assignment at International Fight Week is a familiar face. Seven years after Mario Bautista was submitted in Bautista’s third UFC appearance, Sandhagen met him again in a fight that was more consequential than their first meeting ever.The battle comes with contrasting narratives. Bautista framed it as a wrestling advantage and promised to chase a finish. Sandhagen doesn’t buy that assessment.In an exclusive conversation with Timesofindia.com, Sandhagen talks about how Bautista has improved since their first meeting, why he rejects the wrestling storyline, the lessons from his latest title loss, and why he believes a showdown with Sean O’Malley will mean the most if he beats Bautista.Quotes: It was a rematch with Mario after seven years. How different is he now compared to the debutant you faced in 2019?I think he’s a much better fighter now. I think we are both. He has come a long way, and I think it will be a challenging fight.Mario says he’s looking for the finish and sees it as a wrestling mismatch. What is your reaction to that kind of public assessment of the fight?I think Mario has hardly shown any good offensive wrestling I’ve ever seen. Umar defeated him by a bigger margin. He was held back, while I was put down several times but bounced right back each time. So I don’t know what he is talking about.What do you see as Mario’s greatest strength, and how do you plan to neutralize it?I think Mario’s biggest strength is that he is a hardworking person. He has a lot of self-confidence, and he doesn’t give up. I plan to counter that by being equal, while being more technical, more skilled, and more diligent than him.You had amazing finishes against guys like Edgar and Moraes, as well as tactical wins against opponents like Font. How do you decide, fight by fight, whether to go for the fireworks or settle for a controlled win?You’re always trying to win with fireworks, but sometimes the other guy does really good stuff and you can’t get him out of there. That’s exactly how it is.
Cory Sandhagen vs. Merab Dvalishvili (AP Photo)
After UFC 320: [Merab Dvalishvili]you say the fight is absolutely winnable. What specifically went wrong, and how did you address it in preparation for Mario?I think if I had a better second round, I would have done well. There were also some technical mistakes I made that were easy enough to fix, and I think it would have changed the outcome of the fight. So it really came down to technical fouls and didn’t hurt too much in the second round.You are one of them top bantamweights: for years. How much of this fight is to prove to yourself that you can still manage the new wave of fighters like Mario, not just the old opponents?I think I fight less than Mario, that’s why I don’t see him as a mod. I think he’s been in the UFC for a long time. I’ve probably only been in the UFC a year or two longer than him.
Mario Bautista (Special Arrangements)
So I don’t really see him as a future fighter. I just see him as someone who hasn’t been in as many big fights as I have and hasn’t fought for titles. I think I’m more experienced, but I don’t see him as a newcomer to the UFC.Finally, if you win this fight, what do you think will be the next UFC book? O’Malley, Merab again, or someone else?I think, honestly, I have one more fight before I can fight for the title again. But the only fight the fans want to see is me vs. O’Malley.I hope so, I hope so. If not O’Malley, then I’m open to anyone or any idea because I know there’s probably one more fight left. But if I beat Mario decisively and do something crazy to win, that can change too. Honestly, though, I think there’s one more fight, and I think it should be against O’Malley. I don’t know who else.(Watch UFC 329 – McGregor vs Holloway 2 on July 12, 2026, from 6:30 AM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD (Tamil, Telugu & Kannada) and Sony LIV)