Cory Sandhagen questions Chito Vera’s growth after their fight: ‘Have you improved at all?’

Cory Sandhagen understands Marlon Vera’s frustration after UFC 299, where Vera suffered a blowout loss to UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. Sandhagen’s criticism of Vera’s performance in a YouTube video sparked a heated response from Vera, who called out Sandhagen for his harsh words.

In a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Sandhagen admitted that he may have been too harsh on Vera but explained that he was upset at the time. Despite being ranked lower than other contenders, Vera was given the title shot against O’Malley due to their past history, where Vera had previously defeated O’Malley.

However, history did not repeat itself in the rematch, as O’Malley dominated Vera to secure his first title defense. Sandhagen criticized Vera’s performance as “unbelievably uncompetitive” and expressed regret for underestimating him.

Vera, in response, lashed out at Sandhagen, calling him out for making YouTube videos instead of focusing on fighting. Sandhagen, reflecting on the situation, admitted that he was disappointed in Vera’s performance and questioned why he didn’t make any improvements from their previous fight.

Sandhagen is set to return from a year-long injury layoff in a highly anticipated matchup against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi on August 3. The fight is expected to be a pivotal moment in Sandhagen’s career as he looks to make a statement in the bantamweight division.