UFC 250 breakdown: Who moves up bantamweight ladder between Cory Sandhagen, Aljamain Sterling?
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at a main-card attraction for UFC 250.
UFC 250 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Aljamain Sterling (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC)
Staple info:
- Height: 5’8″ Age: 32 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 69″
- Last fight: Decision win over Pedro Munhoz (June 8, 2019)
- Camp: Serra-Longo Fight Team (Long Island, N.Y.)
- Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt
+ 2x All-American wrestler
+ 2 KO victories
+ 7 submission wins
+ 3 first-round finishes
+ Tricky feints and footwork
^ Variates looks and levels
+ Improved boxing
+ Dynamic kicking attacks
^ Functional from both sides
+ Diverse takedown ability
^ Chains trips, singles and double-legs
+ Crafty transitional grappler
^ Combines funk and submission stylings
Cory Sandhagen (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC)
Staple info:
- Height: 5’11” Age: 28 Weight: 135 lbs. Reach: 70″
- Last fight: Decision win over Raphael Assuncao (Aug. 17, 2019)
- Camp: Elevation Fight Team (Denver)
- Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
+ WKA world kickboxing champion
+ Amateur kickboxing accolades
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt
+ 4 KO victory
+ 3 submission wins
+ 5 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Excellent feints and footwork
^ Manages distance/draws out attacks
+ Variates shot selection
^ Punctuates well with bodywork
+ Hard leg kicks
+ Underrated scrambling ability
+ Solid transitional grappler
^ Flows well from top or bottom
Point of interest: Kicks, counters and bodywork
The main card for UFC 250 features an important bantamweight attraction between two fighters who quietly share some crossover on the feet.
Despite not being as shiny a striker on paper, Aljamain Sterling has made some undeniable strides in his striking game throughout his UFC tenure.
With his funk-style of wrestling initially following him into his striking endeavors, Sterling busted out of the gates as an awkward stick-and-move stylist. But after a few years of valuable lessons and experiences, the Serra-Longo product is much more comfortable expressing himself standing.
Continually switching his stances while moving laterally, Sterling makes himself hard to read or get a beat on. Incorporating his fair share of feints, the 30-year-old has traditionally worked his way into the fight behind a wall of dynamic kicking variety.
From his snapping front kicks and traditional teeps to his Thai kicks that he parlays into sidekicks, Sterling can execute attacks soundly from either stance. Addressing the criticisms of his game at boxing range, the Long Islander has also shown upgrades to his pocket presence.
Attaching more purpose (as well as punches) to his trunk movements, Sterling will now offer everything from checking jabs and hooks to cheeky elbows over the top. Although Sterling’s head can be hard to find at times, his legs and body arguably present more tangible targets that a striker of similar sensibilities could pick up on.
Enter Cory Sandhagen.
Coming up through the kickboxing ranks in the quiet martial arts hotbed of Colorado, Sandhagen has clearly studied and absorbed a lot in what has been a fun career to watch thus far.
Utilizing his long and lean frame like second nature, Sandhagen is a rangy kickboxer who appears comfortable poking and prodding his opposition with accurate jabs and leg kicks from either stance. Shifting or drop-stepping at a moment’s notice, the 28-year-old talent can piece together flowing, varied offense off of whatever building materials are offered up.
Whether Sandhagen is bringing back Jose Aldo’s patented “dutchie” combination or launching jumping switch-knees that give me flashbacks to Liu Kang’s bicycle kick, he certainly knows how to keep things spicy. And when Sandhagen is feeling in stride, he has no issue digging deep hooks and uppercuts to his opponent’s body, as it’s not uncommon to see the good samaritan show a sadistic smile after landing a direct hit.
Given Pedro Munhoz’s success in attacking the midsection and legs of Sterling, I would not be surprised to see Sandhagen go kick-for-kick with his funky counterpart. That said, both men quietly set up some of their most effective counters off of kicks, which could lead to some sticky situations.
Next point of interest: Playing in quicksand
Point of interest: Playing in quicksand
Considering that Sterling is the better wrestler on paper, I will be curious to see if he is able to exercise those perceived edges.
A two-time All-American wrestler, Sterling has demonstrated a diverse array of takedowns in his arsenal since arriving in the UFC. From reactive shots in the open to chaining to and from single-legs in the clinch, the 30-year-old contender can hit crafty finishes on the feet when he needs to. That said, taking Sandhagen down is one thing; keeping him down is another.
Slippery inside the scramble, Sandhagen has shown that he is not one to settle for bad positions, displaying a stoic composure that has surely assisted him in adverse spots before. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt in his own right, Sandhagen is far from a slouch when it comes to fighting for positions in the grappling department.
Even when taken down, Sandhagen is quick to attack whether he is throwing armbars off his back to going for triangles from an inverted guard. Nevertheless, despite showing real savvy in tough spots, Sandhagen will still need to be careful when returning to his feet, as he seems to have a propensity to tripod when looking to get back to his base.
Against a fighter who loves to break down opposition from anything resembling the turtle position, it seems that these exchanges in tight will be crucial in the grand scheme of things for both parties.
A wrestler who’s not afraid to fight out of bad spots, Sterling shows no problems when having to attack or create scrambles off of his back. Once touching down on the mat, Sterling’s funky flow comes even further to life.
Melding his wrestling base into his innovative jiu-jitsu, Sterling will combine things like chair-sits into leg weaves and rides, seamlessly climbing the walls of his opponent’s defenses. Not afraid to jump on a back, Sterling has also shown to be content in punishing opponents positionally, landing solid ground strikes when submissions are not available.
Regardless of who ends up on top, expect grappling exchanges to be both fun and technical for as long as they last.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction
Point of interest: Odds and opinions
The oddsmakers and public seem to be ever-so-slightly favoring the Serra-Longo product, listing Sterling -115 and Sandhagen -105 as of this writing.
Not only is this the fight I’m most looking forward to on Saturday, but it’s also the hardest for me to call.
Considering the wrestling and experience edge on paper, I don’t disagree with Sterling being slightly favored. However, as someone who absolutely loves Sandhagen’s style, I warn anyone picking this fight with confidence.
Both fighters show a strong trend of fight-to-fight improvements, as I will be leaving room to be surprised come Saturday. But if forced to make a pick, then it’s hard not to favor Sterling. Between the Serra-Longo fighter finally getting his nagging wrist repaired (which he admitted was hindering his wrestling ability) to the fact that this will be a three-round affair inside the small cage, I can’t help but suspect that those conditions benefit Sterling.
Should Sterling be the stronger wrestler, then I see him edging out the scorecards. But if Sterling fails to ground Sandhagen early and often, then we will likely see the Colorado native counter the New Yorker’s kicks in order to pull away down the stretch. Either way, I’m predicting we get a competitive 15 minutes regardless of whose hand is raised at the end.
