Cory Sandhagen knows what Madison Square Garden means. To UFC fighters, it’s the holy ground. The home of Conor McGregor’s double champ moment at UFC 205, of Georges St.Pierre’s epic return at UFC 217, of legends being made beneath the bright lights of New York City. But for ‘The Sandman’, the Mecca of combat sports comes with one big problem: the paycheck.

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Sandhagen was asked where he wants to fight next, especially with a likely bantamweight title shot against Merab Dvalishvili on the horizon.

He responded by sharing, “Uh, December in Vegas, or sooner, or really whenever, I guess. But the New York State tax is, I would rather fight in Vegas big time.” It wasn’t a casual remark. Sandhagen went on to explain that when he previously fought at Madison Square Garden, he was shocked by how much money disappeared before he ever saw it.

‘The Sandman’ explained, “MSG in New York is kind of like.. I fought there before and was like ‘Hey, where’s the rest of my check?’ and they were like, ‘No, we take takes out.’ I was like, ‘Geez’. So, Vegas would be nice. ”

It’s not hard to see why. Reports online indicate that New York’s state income tax rate climbs as high as 10.9% for top earners, and fighters living outside the state often face both state and local taxes on their purses. For athletes who rely on show and win money, that can be a brutal hit, especially in an already short career window.

Add to that New York’s gate tax: a staggering 8.5% on MMA tickets, the highest in the nation and nearly triple that of boxing events in the same state. UFC executives have even backed legislation to fix this imbalance, calling it “unfair” to MMA fans and fighters alike.

So while Cory Sandhagen may respect the venue, he’s not looking to make history if it means losing a chunk of his hard-earned money in the process. And can you blame him? Sandhagen has worked hard to climb the bantamweight ladder, and with a fresh TKO win over Deiveson Figueiredo, he’s earned his shot. His recent 4-1 run, with the lone loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, proves he’s ready.

Even UFC boss Dana White seems convinced, strongly hinting after UFC 316 that Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen is next. And for ‘The Sandman’, there’s no mystery in how he plans to get it done!

Cory Sandhagen has only one goal in mind to end Merab Dvalishvili’s reign atop the bantamweight throne

Cory Sandhagen knows Merab Dvalishvili isn’t just another name on the list. He’s relentless, suffocating, and on a 13-fight win streak. Fresh off choking out Sean O’Malley in their title rematch, Dvalishvili looks more dangerous than ever. But that doesn’t rattle Sandhagen. If anything, it motivates him.

After UFC 316, Sandhagen shared in an interview with ESPN, “He got the finish, and I’m sure that that’s what he was looking for, and I’m happy for him. Me and Merab have a really good rapport together, so I’m happy for him.”

That mutual respect, however, won’t change his mindset. Friendly or not, Sandhagen has one thing on his mind, the bantamweight gold. And to get it, he knows there’s no room for hesitation.

As such, he continued, “He’s maybe one of the best guys in the UFC, and I want to take that guy out. Yeah, you’ve got to knock that guy out. That’s it. You’ve just got to knock that guy out.”

‘The Machine’ may be the most dominant bantamweight in the world right now. But if Sandhagen has his way, that streak stops with him. And if that means skipping the glitz of Madison Square Garden to keep more of his earnings, so be it. He’s not here to be part of the atmosphere. He’s here to make a statement. And when the cage door finally closes on his title shot against Merab Dvalishvili, Sandhagen plans to cash in the only way that really matters, by taking the gold with a highlight reel finish for the ages!