Petr Yan is scheduled to defend the UFC bantamweight title against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 256 and Cory Sandhagen could find himself involved in the championship encounter.
Sandhagen, who is ranked no. 2 in the bantamweight division, is willing to be the backup for the title fight.
“Yeah, definitely that’s my plan,” Sandhagen told MMA Junkie Radio. “Moraes landed one really good low kick on me, so I’m trying to do my best to keep it moving so that it doesn’t get weak, and I don’t let my body get too weak. But I mean, that’s the plan. Right when I can get back to not the hardest training in the world, but if I could be 80 percent for the next month-and-a-half and kinda feel out whether or not these guys are gonna fight, especially today with the coronavirus and all that jazz. Weird stuff is gonna happen all the time, so I mean, I’m definitely gonna stay at about 80 percent.”
While Yan and Sandhagen have never met, Sterling does hold a first-round submission win over Sandhagen. The bantamweight says he’ll keep himself in shape in case the title shot comes to fruition.
“I understand that I’m the No. 1 guy that would jump into that spot, so I’m not gonna be stupid and just blow that away because I don’t wanna train,” Sandhagen said. “I’m gonna definitely keep myself prepared. I have no issue, or my ego has no issue, with being an alternate for that fight.”
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