Cory Sandhagen accuses judge of personal vendetta in controversial Marlon Vera fight decision - "I had a bad encounter years ago"
Cory Sandhagen has made bold claims of a judge having personal vendetta against him in his fight against Marlon Vera.
Sandhagen and Vera locked horns earlier this year in March. While 'Sandman' ended up winning the bout, huge controversy erupted after it was revealed that one judge had scored the fight in favor of 'Chito'.
Joel Ojeda who scored the bout 48-47 in favor of Marlon Vera was officiating a UFC card for the first time with the main-event being the fourth ever UFC fight on his resume.
Speaking about the same during a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Cory Sandhagen revealed that he had a "bad encounter" with Joel Ojeda years ago. He said:
"Thats why the decision was a little bit weird too because I had a bad encounter with that judge that scored me in the other way. I had a bad encounter with that guy years ago because he reffed one of my guy's fight horrendously and I let him have it and I let him know that he did a really bad job. So I think that guy just didn't like me to be honest."
Catch Sandhagen's comments in the video below (23:42)
Cory Sandhagen speaks about his upcoming fight against Umar Nurmagomedov
Cory Sandhagen is set to return to the octagon against undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov in August. Following the announcement of the fight, a lot has been said. While some believe Sandhagen shouldn't be fighting Nurmagomedov, who happens to be ranked significantly lower than 'Sandman', others are excited for the matchup.
Moreover, it is certainly a big jump for Umar Nurmagomedov who is currently ranked No.11 in the bantamweight division and hasn't faced the level of opposition like Cory Sandhagen.
Speaking about it during the same interview with ESPN MMA, 'Sandman' claimed that Nurmagomedov has been levels above the guys he has fought till now. He said:
"Even I don't know how good Umar really is. Like even when I watch his fights like before the UFC and even in the UFC, he hasn't fought like a challenge that is you know where you could watch it and be like, like get much from it to be honest but he has been levels above the guys that he has fought."
Catch Sandhagen's comments in the video below (09:52):