At least, that’s partly true.
How To Watch And Stream UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2
There is a “material” part to him, one that takes over when competition is prevalent. That side is one who wants to accomplish goals and leave a legacy. That side is fiery; it’s the one who can plant a perfect flying knee, uncork a spinning kick, or find the right combination to break down his foes in the Octagon. It’s the side that Sandhagen tapped into throughout camp, putting the “peaceful person” aside as he prepares to fight Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title at UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 on October 4.
It’s that side, Sandhagen, who is present when breaking down his matchup with “The Machine” and also has a “revenge tour” planned for himself once he gets the belt wrapped around his waist. Always one to methodically extract lessons from his fights, Sandhagen looks back to his July 2024 loss to Umar Nurmagomedov (whom Dvalishvili beat at UFC 314) and laments his defensive approach, vowing not to allow Dvalishvili’s threats to prevent him from getting his own game going.
“Merab is going to have to deal with me,” Sandhagen told UFC.com during an interview at High Altitude Martial Arts in Denver. “I’m not dealing with Merab this fight. There will be some of that, and there will be some adversity that I’m sure that I’m going to have to face in this fight, but Merab is dealing with me. It’s not going to be the other way around.”
UFC 320 FULL FIGHTS: Ankalaev vs Pereira 1 | Pereira vs Hill | Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 2 | Sandhagen vs Figueiredo
Sandhagen is quick to compliment Dvalishvili, calling him a “phenomenal fighter.” The mutual respect was on display after Dvalishvili’s submission win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 in June. The two exchanged pleasantries backstage, and Dvalishvili told Sandhagen be believed the Colorado-native was the most deserving of the next title shot.
As far as styles go, Sandhagen knows he’ll have to handle Dvalishvili’s wrestling and the way the Georgian weaponizes his cardio. Easier said than done, of course, but a straightforward task nonetheless.
“If I don’t let him do those things to me, then Merab is striking with me,” he said. “Unless his striking has gotten a lot better, it’s going to be a really hard night for him… Not once in a fight have I felt incredibly fatigued the way that I’ve seen some of his other opponents be. Not once in a fight have I been on my back for longer than 10 seconds unless it was something that I was trying to do, so you take those two things off the table, which I’ve proven time and time again that I’m very good at, and Merab doesn’t have a lot of routes to victory, and I have a lot of them.
“It’s going to be my night. I’m going to be champ.”
MORE SANDHAGEN: Finding Synergy At The Right Time | Fight Camp Interview
A lot of the confidence is not only coming from the work he put in since beating Deiveson Figueiredo in May, but also from allowing his coaches to completely take the reins. He credits his head coach, Carrington Banks, for instilling confidence in his grappling game, and also shows his appreciation for Trevor Wittman, with whom Sandhagen has worked since last year.
There was a learning curve there, however. Sandhagen’s partnership with Wittman was first tested against Nurmagomedov. The 33-year-old was in the midst of getting familiar with Wittman’s philosophies and coaching style when they traveled to Abu Dhabi to face Nurmagomedov. While Sandhagen understands nobody will care about excuses, he is also frank about the factor that played in the fight. The best way to prove those theories right is to get the job done, and he is beaming with confidence.
Although this fight is Sandhagen’s first for undisputed gold, it isn’t his first championship opportunity. That came when he stepped in to face Petr Yan for the interim belt at UFC 267 on about four weeks’ notice in October 2021. Sandhagen doesn’t regret taking the opportunity, and he is eager to hopefully face Yan again, but he also called the short-notice nature of the fight a “bummer.”
That is not the case this time around, and he is hyperaware of the chances at hand.
UFC 320 Full Fight Card Preview
“You don’t get too many of those (moments) in life,” he said. “I really want to give that to myself and give that to the people around me who have helped me in the past and in the present. I always think back to who I was when I was 16, 17 years old when I started this and just all the shit that I went through and college years, post-college years before being in the UFC, being kind of broke because you don’t make any money getting into the UFC, (then) my journey through the UFC, becoming an adult, and then becoming to where I am now, it’s been a really long, long ass journey. I think about it all the time.”
It feels like this chance has been a long time coming for Sandhagen, who has done nothing but handle his business in the Octagon since joining the roster in January 2018. He methodically worked his way up the shark pit that is the bantamweight division, but took some lumps along the way, too.
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That’s all part of his journey, though, one he appreciates. That’s the calm Sandhagen, the one who is happy with his friends, his wife, and a place to practice martial arts.
But then there’s that “material guy” who pops up with all of these other thoughts about the coming months.
How To Watch And Stream UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2
“I really love that it’s not too late for me,” he said. “Sometimes you lose here and there or whatever, or you’re kind of just on the cusp a couple times, and then you don’t get it, it kind of feels unreachable. But there’s always a path, and there’s always a direction to what you want. This is my path, and this is my direction. I go out, I beat Merab, who’s considered one of the best to ever do it at 135, and then I beat the two guys that have beaten me, and then I beat a big name who the fans are super stoked to see… That sounds like a hell of a legacy to me.”
Both parts make Sandhagen the fighter and person he is, one who many view as championship-level, one who believes the same with absolute conviction. On October 4, that gets put to the ultimate test.
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