Sandhagen doesn't have "it"

KOPPE said:
you can't teach heart, i hate TJ with a burning passion but he showed heart and grit
dudes was a true warrior.
i really think Cory Sandhagen is overrated he doesn't have what it takes imo, the hype behind him is unjustifiable, I know people are on the Sandwagon because of his last 2 fluke fights
I don't think he has what it takes to be a top guy and his wins aren't as good as they look. Let's look into his resume against notable fighters:

-Split Decision Win against Jon Lineker: Total coin toss decision
-Unanimous Decision Win against Rafael Assuncao: A competitive but clear win for Sandhagen, however Assuncao by that point was WAYYYY out of his prime
-Loses to Aljamain Sterling by submission in 88 Seconds
-R2 TKO Marlon Moraes: if that's not a guy on the decline I don't know what is
-R1 KO Frankie Edgar: fluke.

I’m not saying he’s bad, but the way people are talking about him like he’s the next big thing is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
It's easy to move the goal posts to justify a half baked opinion, as you know
 
Have to agree i got the impression he let the win slip away somehow.
 
Even though Dillishaw 'won' (draw is more accurate), he was exposed last night with weaknesses in full view

Yan will take his lunch money
 
BluntForceTrama said:
Even though Dillishaw 'won' (draw is more accurate), he was exposed last night with weaknesses in full view

Yan will take his lunch money
Click to expand...

He fought 70 percent of that fight with one eye and one leg. I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from that fight
 
Exposed in the sense that everyone thought Sandhagen was some juggernaut who was going to steamroll the division I saw massive holes last night and he got decisioned by a much smaller dude
 
Stfu.. Sandhagen is legit. Unlike you as a poster.
 
I didn't even know he had hype.
I've only just returned to watching mma from the Euros.
The guy got ran through by sterling who everyone thinks is a can for some reason about a year ago.
And he always gives his back.
Sterling, merab, yan, tj with a working knee take advantage of that
 
I don’t know. Sandhagen is good. Reminds me of a young Max Holloway; a striker finding his groove in an mma setting. He does have holes in his game though. Also, he didn’t push when he should have last night. I feel that Yan would have gotten a compromised TJ out of there.
 
Agreed he straight up quit like a pussy against Sterling

He ain't champ material
 
1 thing for sure that flying knee he throws is a problem. he might learn more from a loss then a win in this case and hes only 26? i think one day he'll might be the champ so i hope this loss doesnt define his whole career. tj is a beast he fought with injured knee from round 2 and a nasty cut and still beat him. sandman has to go back and learn where he could've done better and comeback stronger
 
CPH said:
I don’t know. Sandhagen is good. Reminds me of a young Max Holloway; a striker finding his groove in an mma setting. He does have holes in his game though. Also, he didn’t push when he should have last night. I feel that Yan would have gotten a compromised TJ out of there.
Click to expand...

I think the big issue is that Holloway tendsto grab matches by the struff of the neck, turns up the pressure and really goes after someone. Sandhagen to me feels like one of those fighters who is going to just do the same thing all match, he's capable of great one off moments definately but doesnt seem to fundamentally shift his game/pace.

The fight to me always seemed like it was TJ reacting to Corey, making adjustments and that I think always puts the latter at a disadvantage if they arent dominating a fight.
 
moreorless87 said:
I think the big issue is that Holloway tendsto grab matches by the struff of the neck, turns up the pressure and really goes after someone. Sandhagen to me feels like one of those fighters who is going to just do the same thing all match, he's capable of great one off moments definately but doesnt seem to fundamentally shift his game/pace.

The fight to me always seemed like it was TJ reacting to Corey, making adjustments and that I think always puts the latter at a disadvantage if they arent dominating a fight.
Click to expand...

Well put.
 
KOPPE said:
you can't teach heart, i hate TJ with a burning passion but he showed heart and grit
dudes was a true warrior.
i really think Cory Sandhagen is overrated he doesn't have what it takes imo, the hype behind him is unjustifiable, I know people are on the Sandwagon because of his last 2 fluke fights
I don't think he has what it takes to be a top guy and his wins aren't as good as they look. Let's look into his resume against notable fighters:

-Split Decision Win against Jon Lineker: Total coin toss decision
-Unanimous Decision Win against Rafael Assuncao: A competitive but clear win for Sandhagen, however Assuncao by that point was WAYYYY out of his prime
-Loses to Aljamain Sterling by submission in 88 Seconds
-R2 TKO Marlon Moraes: if that's not a guy on the decline I don't know what is
-R1 KO Frankie Edgar: fluke.

I’m not saying he’s bad, but the way people are talking about him like he’s the next big thing is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
While I agree with your premise, I object to the implication of "fluke" wins.

Fighters throw strikes with the objective of hurting and finishing their opponents. Some of those will miss, others will be blocked and some will land. Better strikers land more and are more likely to land effectively, doing damage.

As for Sandhagen's "it factor" and heart, I couldn't agree more. He is highly skilled but when it comes down to a battle of will, "who wants it more" ... I don't think he is built for that.
Combine that with his relatively weak defensive wrestling and somewhat passive tendency to accept bad positions and I think he winds up being a gatekeeper, a solid upper tier gatekeeper to the elite, but not a champion

TJ on the other hand is a dog. He was a top 5 P4P reigning champion and that wasn't enough, he was willing to cheat to try to win another title. His heart and determination, like him or hate him, can not be questioned.
 
TCE said:
A flying knee intended to hit the dome is a fluke?
Click to expand...

Corey meant to do it, but Frankie is way past prime. The Frankie that went full zombie mode vs. Maynard would have eaten that knee and wrestlefucked Salthagen to bolivia. TJ ate one or two of those knees, but dodged probably twice as many and turned them into TDs. Cory’s jump knee isn’t some sort of doomsday weapon. It worked on Frankie and then he fell in love with it. Hopefully he realized after last night that lightning doesn’t strike twice, and flashy shit doesn’t always work against experienced fighters.

Last night also showed that Corey’s TDD consists of turning his back and eating knees to his legs against the cage. I guess it’s better than actually being taken down, and he didn’t spend too much time on the bottom, so that’s promising.
 
I totally agree. If you are fighting without heart and grit, you better have the firepower to put em away early, or a skill advantage so large that you can outclass your opponent. That’s hard to do at top 10/5 ufc level.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Substance Abuse
Media Petr Yan: "Chito Got Title Shot Because O'Malley Doesn't Believe He Can Beat Other Contenders."
2 3 4
Replies
62
Views
2K
r-harper-1
r-harper-1

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,091
Messages
55,467,219
Members
174,786
Latest member
plasterby

Share this page

Back
Top