Cory Sandhagen fears torn hamstring after UFC 329 loss to Bautista

Cory Sandhagen suspects he suffered a torn hamstring during his unanimous decision loss to Mario Bautista at UFC 329 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

The former bantamweight title challenger took to social media Monday to address the defeat and disclosed a potential serious injury from the featured bout at T-Mobile Arena, per MMA Mania. Sandhagen wrote that he believes a first-round kneebar damaged the muscle and altered his game plan for the remainder of the fight.

Sandhagen explains what went wrong in Bautista rematch

In his statement, Sandhagen described the experience bluntly. "Losing in fighting is the most embarrassing thing ever," he wrote. He credited Bautista for being well-prepared and acknowledged that the kneebar submission attempt likely caused the injury. "It kept locking out weird if I did certain things," Sandhagen explained, noting the issue affected his performance through all three rounds.

Sandhagen is scheduled for an MRI this week to determine the extent of the hamstring damage. Depending on severity, a significant tear could sideline the 34-year-old for six to 12 months, pushing a potential return into 2027.

The loss marks Sandhagen's second consecutive defeat after dropping a title fight to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 320 last year. Now 18-7 overall and 4-3 in his last seven outings, Sandhagen finds himself far removed from another bantamweight title opportunity and potentially out of a long-discussed matchup with Sean O'Malley.

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• MMA Mania — ‘Embarrassed’ Cory Sandhagen issues statement after UFC 329 loss, fears torn hamstring