Cory Sandhagen

Cory "The Sandman" Sandhagen is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC's Bantamweight division. Born and raised in Aurora, Colorado, Sandhagen grew up a fan of combat sports, training first in taekwondo before moving into kickboxing, where he won multiple WKA titles, including a WKA world championship, before transitioning fully to mixed martial arts. He turned professional in 2015 and made his UFC debut in January 2018.

Sandhagen built his career at Denver's Elevation Fight Team, developing alongside a deep roster of coaches and training partners into one of the sport's most technically dynamic strikers. He holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Eliot Marshall and is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, where he studied psychology.

Inside the cage, Sandhagen is known as a well-rounded, cerebral fighter whose creative, high-volume striking sets him apart. He mixes crisp boxing with unorthodox kicks and knees, generates offense from unusual angles and distances, and pairs his striking with underrated grappling and wrestling defense, making him a stylistic puzzle for opponents across the division.

His career highlights include a series of highlight-reel finishes, most notably a flying-knee knockout of Frankie Edgar in just 28 seconds, one of the fastest finishes in UFC history, as well as decisive stoppages of Marlon Moraes and former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. He has also challenged for UFC bantamweight gold, facing Petr Yan for the interim title and later Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Stats last updated: August 18, 2026