Cory Sandhagen vs Marlon Moraes was the main event of the evening. The fight was touted to be an extremely close-fought bantamweight showdown, between two of the best at 135 pounds. Moraes and Sandhagen had been on a tear and held wins over some of the best fighters in the UFC. 

Both fighters were out to prove a point, and build their case for a title shot against the newly crowned champion, Petr Yan. However, it was Sandhagen who took a step forward as he secured a stunning knockout finish over Marlon Moraes. 

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Cory Sandhagen bounces back with an impressive KO 

Cory Sandhagen started off the fight very strong, he threw leg kicks relentlessly to try to compromise Moraes’ movement. He landed 13 leg kicks over the course of the fight. ‘Magic’ attempted to land his signature right hand but was unsuccessful in doing so. Towards the end of the first round, Moraes landed a takedown. 

In the second round, Sandhagen attempted a question mark kick that Moraes was able to block. The end came when ‘Magic’ dodged a leg kick and was retreating. In an attempt to close the distance, he attempted a spinning heel kick that landed on the button. This knocked Marlon down. Cory landed a few shots on the ground before Marc Goddard stepped in and stopped the fight. 

In the fight, Sandhagen landed an impressive 38 significant strikes at an impressive success rate of 43%. On the flip side, ‘Magic’ could land only 14 total strikes. 

Going into the fight, Cory had a lot to prove given that Sterling stopped him in the very first round of his last fight. Prior to his loss against Aljamain, Sandhagen was on a seven-fight win streak. With an impressive win over a top bantamweight in Marlon Moraes, Sandhagen is back in the win column.

He will now be looking to continue the momentum and work his way to a title fight against Petr Yan. Sandhagen is currently ranked fourth in the bantamweight division. What did you make of his impressive finish?