A pivotal bantamweight bout between top-ranked contenders Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen is the latest addition to the UFC San Diego card.
Sandhagen had been tabbed to fight former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, but “The Dominator” reportedly was not interested in the matchup. According to a report from Aaron Bronsteter of TSN, Sandhagen will instead take on Sterling in a battle between two of the top-five bantamweights in the world.
Per sources, a bout between Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen is in the works and is being targeted for the card scheduled for May 16 in San Diego.https://t.co/q3PQ7nExHT
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 24, 2020
“Per sources, a bout between Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen is in the works and is being targeted for the card scheduled for May 16 in San Diego.”
Bronsteter was quick to point out that the Sterling vs. Sandhagen matchup, like every other matchup currently booked for a UFC card, is questionable due to the coronavirus outbreak and the impact of it on when the UFC can safely conduct their events. But if the coronavirus quarantine is lifted, the UFC plans on this fight happening on May 16 in San Diego.
Sterling (18-3) is riding a four-fight win streak at the moment with victories over Pedro Munhoz, Jimmie Rivera, Cody Stamann and Brett Johns. All told Sterling has a 10-3 record in the UFC and is one of the best bantamweights currently on the roster. He has been calling out UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo for months but the UFC instead chose to give Jose Aldo to Cejudo, meaning Sterling needed to fight someone else.
Sandhagen (12-1) has quickly emerged as one of the top-five bantamweights in the world. Since debuting in the Octagon in 2018, Sandhagen is a perfect 5-0 including notable wins over Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker. He was initially set to fight Frankie Edgar in January, but that fight was scratched and since then Sandhagen has been sitting idle. He was supposed to fight the former champ Cruz, but instead he lands a top contender in Sterling.
Who do you think wins, Aljamain Sterling or Cory Sandhagen?