UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen called his shot after he stopped Marlon Moraes in the second round back on Oct. 10, declaring, "I want that belt," following his latest victory that propelled him to a record of 13-2-0 as a pro.
"I want that belt!" - Cory Sandhagen@cors_life has his eyes set on bantamweight gold! #UFCFightIsland5 pic.twitter.com/gGCkd7ECsN
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 11, 2020
It looks like Sandhagen will have to go through a UFC veteran and former champion to get his wish.
ESPN's Ariel Helwani reported on Friday that the UFC is planning for a fight between Sandhagen, No. 2 among bantamweights in the official promotional rankings, and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (24-8-1). Helwani added the two have verbally agreed to meet on a Feb. 6 Fight Night card.
The UFC hasn't yet announced a location for that show.
Sandhagen, 28, fell to Aljamain Sterling, ranked No. 1, on June 6 for his first loss in the promotion. Sterling was supposed to face bantamweight champion Petr Yan at the UFC 256 pay-per-view last Saturday, but as Jed Meshew explained for MMA Fighting, Yan postponed the bout due to issues related to travel and his visa.
Edgar, who turned 39 years old in October, lost two straight fights and three of his last four before he toppled Pedro Munhoz in August. The UFC has Edgar ranked fifth in the division.
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