Sandhagen might be a nightmare for Sterling

SteveColdStone

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Sterling has improved his striking but I think this is a tough match up for him on the feet.


Sterling makes good use of his length but Sandhagen is taller and longer. Sterling likes to use his front kicks to keep guys away from him but I think they’re going to be less effective against a guy like Sandhagen who can throw kicks back at him from further away. Sandhagen has a very good low kick and we saw Munhoz have success with this against Sterling.

Sterling finds himself on the backfooot often and Sandhagen is a very good pressure fighter. Sandhagen has a sick left hook to the body and is relentless when he pressures. He will throw the flying knee regularly and is pretty good in tight, despite being so long. Neither guy is known for their boxing but when I factor in body attacks Sandhagen has better hands imo. I’d probably give him the edge in terms of just the ability to hit the head too. Sandhagen’s cardio looks very good and I think he has a pretty decent advantage in that area. I don’t think Sterling’s cardio is particularly great.

I think Sterling is going to have to mix in grappling if he wants this win. Sandhagen has bad TDD stats but when Assuncao took him down Sandhagen was fine and scrambled very well. Sandhagen nearly got submitted against Iuri but that was right at the start of the fight and Iuri sets up submissions from weird submissions. Sandhagen’s grappling looks to be very good. His TDD might not be up to much, but Sterling doesn’t have the best takedowns. I also don’t think Sandhagen has exactly been putting in maximum effort when attempting to defend takedowns.


So my prediction is that Sandhagen gets the better of it on the feet and probably wins by decision, not stoppage. I’d be surprised if Sterling could simply win a kickboxing match. If Sterling can’t get the grappling going I think he’s going to have a hard time on the feet, especially in rounds 2 and 3.
 
hopefully, I don't want to watch Sterling run around on the outside with range kicks and every once in a while dart in and before he even lands his punch he is already on his way out to minimize chance of getting hit = landing punches with 0 impact strictly for point scoring
 
it will be a boring decision for sandhagen
 
hopefully, I don't want to watch Sterling run around on the outside with range kicks and every once in a while dart in and before he even lands his punch he is already on his way out to minimize chance of getting hit = landing punches with 0 impact strictly for point scoring
I think it’s going to be harder for him to get his game going against a guy who is half a foot taller than his last two opponents.
 
When has Sandhagen had a boring fight? If he wins he probably starts to beat Sterling up.
i like sandhagen, and aljo for that matter. i think their styles (especially aljo) makes for a slow point scoring type fight. i would gladly eat my words. and no way can u say when has aljo been in a boring fight. even fights he finishes he can make kinda boring (although i enjoy his style at times)
 
i like sandhagen, and aljo for that matter. i think their styles (especially aljo) makes for a slow point scoring type fight. i would gladly eat my words. and no way can u say when has aljo been in a boring fight. even fights he finishes he can make kinda boring (although i enjoy his style at times)
Yeah Aljo has been in a couple or somewhat boring ones and can find himself in close fights. I just think Sandhagen is going to get him against the fence and he will get to work and will make this an entertaining fight. Sandhagen has finishing tools and is a nasty striker and fights at a high pace.
 
Sandhagen is huge and has great movement. He’s a hard fight for anyone but especially aljo
 
it will be a boring decision for sandhagen
I have a feeling that it will be a "boring decision," but I don't know who will win. Neither fighter has convinced me of anything, and I have only watched one Sandhagen fight, and he looked similar to Sterling. If I remember correctly.

There is TOO MUCH riding on this fight for both guys. It is the figurative gate between the next level versus a stagnated career.

I don't see either fighter taking risks. I see them fighting for points. Hopefully, I am pleasantly surprised.
 
If Sterling can fight how he did in the first round of the Munhoz fight, for the WHOLE fight, I see him winning on point. However I think he will slow down. Sterling is a fast starter but has a hard time keeping pace sometimes. Sandhagen will pressure the whole fight,and unless Sterling can do something in the grappling department, he will crumble under the pressure.

Sandhagen by Rd 3 Tko
 
Surprised by the people thinking this will be a boring fight. This should be a great fight, both guys are very good. Both have looked great in their last few fights. Both of these guys could be contenders for the belt.
 
I think it’s going to be harder for him to get his game going against a guy who is half a foot taller than his last two opponents.

Aljamain is actually like 5'2" he just hides it with hair

STERLING_ALJAMAIN_L.png
 
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