Cory Sandhagen will get a taste of the top of the bantamweight division when he takes on a man who has been there for quite a while, Raphael Assuncao, at UFC 241.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani first reported the addition to UFC 241.
Cory Sandhagen is the top rising bantamweight in the UFC currently, coming off a win over the heavy-handed John Lineker. He’ll get his toughest test to date when he takes on the always-tough Raphael Assuncao, who will look to keep him out of the title picture.
Cory Sandhagen made his promotional debut in January of last year on the tail of two straight knockouts in the LFA organization, which were the first knockouts of his career. He continued the streak with a great performance against fellow debutant Austin Arnett in a featherweight fight. The Elevation Fight Team product then moved to bantamweight and won a great Fight of the Night against veteran Iuri Alcantara. A great showing on ESPN with a first round finish at UFC Brooklyn earned him a tough fight with John Lineker. Sandhagen and the Brazilian went to war, but it was Sandhagen who earned the nod from two of the three judges.
Raphael Assuncao has consistently been one of the top fighters in the bantamweight division. The Brazilian has a great 11-3 record in the Octagon with the blemishes coming against top contender Marlon Moraes, former champion TJ Dillashaw, and Erik Koch in his promotional debut, which was at featherweight, a weight class higher than Assuncao’s typical division. With wins over Moraes, Dillashaw, Aljamain Sterling, Pedro Munhoz, and more, Assuncao is a tough out for anybody in the bantamweight division.
UFC 241 takes place on August 17 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The card looks great in its early stages with Daniel Cormier in the main event against Stipe Miocic, Nate Diaz returning to face Anthony Pettis, and Yoel Romero set to fight Paulo Costa.
