"I got by a really tough guy" - Cory Sandhagen claims Song Yadong hits harder than Petr Yan
Cory Sandhagen took on budding contender Song Yadong at UFC Fight Night 210, and was able to win the fight via a fourth-round doctor's stoppage.
Song suffered a gruesome cut above his left eye earlier in the fight, dealt by one of Sandhagen's upward elbows, but was able to land some thunderous blows of his own.
'The Sandman' was caught with multiple left hooks and overhand rights in the fight, and was hurt several times. During a post-fight interview, Sandhagen said that Song hits harder than his previous opponent, Petr Yan, who is known as one of the hardest punches at 135 lbs.
"Song's a hell of a fighter. He hits a little bit harder than Yan to be honest. The dude hits hard. He was a tough opponent, I got the win, I got by a really tough guy who is down in the rankings but could very easily be top 5."
Watch the interview below from 5:30:
Cory Sandhagen is satisfied with his performance against a supremely talented Song Yadong, and 'The Sandman' believes he is one more win away from a shot at the title. He respectfully called out fellow top contenders Marlon Vera and Merab Dvalishvili, who are also coming off wins.
Cory Sandhagen gives his take on the stoppage
Cory Sandhagen was able to win the UFC Fight Night 210 main event following a doctor's stoppage at the end of round four. 'The Sandman' opened up a nasty cut over Song Yadong's eye during the first round, and the cut continued to get worse until the doctor decided to call it off before the final frame.
Sandhagen was noticeably disappointed with the stoppage.
The doctor stops the fight - @CorySandhagen takes the W. #UFCVegas60 https://t.co/mrrdIBVKxs
During Sandhagen's post-fight press conference, he said that he was looking forward to the final round of his fight with Song.
"I think that I was starting to figure him out as the fight was going on, so I was really looking forward to a fifth round. I felt good, fresh, felt like my eyes were still working, and that my fifth round was gonna be good. But, I wanted to KNOW that, so it was kind of a bummer."
Watch the video below from 25:08: