Cory Sandhagen reveals hamstring injury from UFC 329 submission
Cory Sandhagen is awaiting MRI results to confirm the damage from a first-round submission attempt that left him hobbled for the remainder of his bantamweight bout at UFC 329.
The veteran contender posted a photo of severe bruising on the back of his leg Monday, two days after Mario Bautista caught him in a Suloev stretch that transitioned to a kneebar as the opening frame expired. Sandhagen returned to his feet noticeably limping and fought the final two rounds compromised, ultimately dropping a unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Sandhagen on his compromised game plan at UFC 329
"Pretty sure the knee bar tore my hamstring in the first (getting MRI this week)," Sandhagen wrote on Instagram, per MMA Fighting. "It kept locking out weird if I did certain things. So that kind of messed up my game plan." All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Bautista, who sealed the win by dropping Sandhagen in the third round.
The loss marked Sandhagen's third defeat in four outings, following earlier setbacks to Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. Bautista avenged a 2019 defeat to Sandhagen in his UFC debut, showcasing improvements in both striking and grappling seven years later.
Sandhagen admitted the defeat stung. "Losing in fighting is the most embarrassing thing ever," he posted, adding that he needs to fight near perfect at the top of the bantamweight division. A timeline for his return will depend on the MRI findings expected this week.
Original reporting:
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