Matchmakers caught wind of the disappointment that was felt when John Lineker vs. Cory Sandhagen first fell through, so the fight has been rebooked for UFC Miami.
As first reported by Ariel Helwani, a bantamweight slugfest is set to finally happen as John Lineker and Cory Sandhagen are set to fight at UFC Miami, the promotion’s third card on ESPN. The card is set to take place on April 27 and is headlined by Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.
Lineker, who has had a hard time finding fights, finally gets his fight with Sandhagen after Lineker was forced to pull out due to injury for the fight in January. He was then briefly booked to fight Dominick Cruz at UFC 233 before Cruz pulled out due to an injury. Lineker is riding two-fight win streak since losing to TJ Dillashaw in 2016. Lineker’s 31-8 record has seen him take on any and every challenger he can get. With wins over Brian Kelleher, John Dodson, Ian McCall and more, Lineker is a fan favorite.
Sandhagen is currently sitting at 10-1 and riding a five-fight win streak and is 3-0 inside the UFC. His comeback win over Iuri Alcântara last August earned him his first ever Fight of the Night award. Sandhagen beat Mario Bautista on short notice at UFC Brooklyn after Lineker pulled out.
John Lineker has had three Fight of the Night awards and a Performance of the Night award as well. Pair that with Sandhagen’s fight against Alcântara and we have a bonafide barn-burner of a fight on our hands.
As mentioned earlier, UFC Miami is headlined by Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa. This fight has been attempted to be made before, only to be marred by injuries. Also on the card is Glover Teixeira versus Ion Cutelaba. That is another rescheduled fight due to injury.
The UFC continues its new ESPN era in Miami. Be sure to stay posted to Cageside Press for all the latest news for the card and what fights are to come!
