Chael Sonnen explains how Cory Sandhagen and Jon Jones are similar
Chael Sonnen recently broke down Cory Sandhagen's incredible performance against Frankie Edgar. Sonnen drew parallels between Cory Sandhagen and Jon Jones about their reach advantage.
"This guy (Cory Sandhagen) is a tremendous problem. There are very, very few guys that have range, that have a reach advantage. But, (they) have the foggiest idea (of) what to do with it... In the world of MMA, Jon Jones would understand reach tremendously. Dan Hooker understands reach," commented Sonnen.
"And then, you go to Sandhagen. I bring this to you because if you have reach... You've got a problem. And it won't particularly matter how good of a wrestler you are. If you understand reach, you can just keep a guy at bay," Sonnen explained.
Jon Jones has always demonstrated impeccable control inside the Octagon. He employs his reach advantage to the maximum, keeping his opponents at bay and picking them apart from the outside.
Against Frankie Edgar, 'The Sandman' demonstrated a similar understanding of reach. For the entirety of the 28-second fight, Sandhagen was quick on his feet. In doing so, he kept the wrestler in Frankie Edgar at a distance. Using his reach and changing stances, Cory Sandhagen was able to set up a phenomenal knee strike.
Sandhagen moved in and landed a knee straight at Edgar's head to finish the fight. The precision and power with which the knee landed knocked Frankie Edgar out cold and Cory Sandhagen won the bout via KO in just 28 seconds of the first round.
Who did Cory Sandhagen callout after his win?
Immediately after his highlight reel victory, Cory Sandhagen said that he wants to fight for the bantamweight title. In the post-fight interview, Sandhagen commented:
"I think I’m better than Yan. If he wins, I want Yan. Same with Sterling, too, though. I’m a different animal. You guys have seen in the last two fights. I’m a different animal since that fight with Sterling. I’m grateful that he got to teach me a lesson. But the next time we fight, I’m going to hurt Aljamain."
"I want to fight the winner of that fight in July or whenever they want really. But nah, man. I’ve got to be next for the title. There’s no one else even in the conversation, I don’t think – especially after a performance like that," concluded Sandhagen.
Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling will clash in a bantamweight title bout at UFC 260 in March. After his victory over a UFC legend in Frankie Edgar, Cory Sandhagen is certainly in contention for a title shot.