""I think that when I win this belt on Saturday, I'm still going to have a lot of hard-ass work to do after this," Sandhagen (18-5) told media outlets including Cageside Press during this week's UFC 320 media day. "So I'm not going to get ahead of myself as much as like, being super proud or being super pumped. Because I know that even after I'm a world champion, I've got a long way to go to succeed at what I want to succeed at.""
""I've kind of got something wrong with my brain, which I'm sure a lot of you guys can tell, but it makes me super hyper-focused on stuff sometimes. I got really hyper-focused on what Umar's doing instead of what it is that I'm doing. And so I'm not making that mistake again for this one," promised Sandhagen. "Majority of this camp was making me better at what I do, and then obviously being prepared for the bits that Merab's going to bring to it.""
Sandhagen, 33, will face Merab Dvalishvili for the undisputed UFC bantamweight title at UFC 320. He previously fought for interim gold and expects significant work even after winning a championship. Training camp focused on improving his own skills rather than obsessing over opponents after over-focusing on Umar Nurmagomedov in the past. Preparation emphasized becoming a better fighter and preparing for Merab's specific challenges. Sandhagen acknowledged interest in a future bout with Sean O'Malley but ranked Umar Nurmagomedov and Petr Yan higher because they hold wins over him. He intends to remain active and pursue those rematches.
Read at Cageside Press
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