Cory Sandhagen is looking to finally get his hands on a UFC title after spending seven years with the promotion.
The Sandman has been toiling away in the octagon since 2018 without becoming a champion. He came close in 2021, but Cory Sandhagen lost to Petr Yan in a heartbreaking title fight.
As he gears up to bounce back from a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, Sandhagen will hope to be back on track to win a UFC title sooner after his fight at UFC Des Moines.
How old is Cory Sandhagen?
Cory Sandhagen is 33 years old, having been born on April 20, 1992. He was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado, where he trained in martial arts, boxing and kickboxing.
Cory Sandhagen’s height, weight and reach
Sandhagen stands at 5 feet 11 inches, which is the equivalent of 180cm. As he fights in the Bantamweight division in the UFC, “The Sandman” competes at the 135 lb weight limit. For his fight against Nurmagomedov, Sandhagen weighed in at 136 lbs.
He has a reach of 69.5 inches, or 177cm.
Cory Sandhagen’s Instagram and X/Twitter
Sandhagen is active on Instagram with his account handle being corysandhagenmma. He has acquired 473,000 followers as of April 2025 by posting daily content including photos, videos and breakdowns of his MMA fights.
However, he is not currently active on X (formerly known as Twitter) and there is no verified account under his name on the platform.
The Sandman also has a successful YouTube channel, where he posts weekly vlogs dedicated to his training and businesses, as well as funny skits using his friends and family.
The name of the channel in Cory ‘The Sandman’ Sandhagen.
Cory Sandhagen’s MMA record
| WLD | (T)KO | SUB |
| 17-5-0 | 7-0 | 3-1 |
Cory Sandhagen’s MMA stats
| Significant Strikes Landed per Minute | 5.02 |
| Significant Striking Accuracy | 44% |
| Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute | 3.46 |
| Significant Strike Defense (the % of opponents strikes that did not land) | 57% |
| Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes | 0.30 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 32% |
| Takedown Defense (the % of opponents TD attempts that did not land) | 63% |
| Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes | 0.30 |
Cory Sandhagen’s net worth
Sandhagen has a reported net worth of around $1 million, although accurate information about his earnings is difficult to find.
MMA Salaries estimate his total MMA earnings to be $666,300, with Sandhagen’s biggest payday coming from his victory over Marlon Moraes, when he netted a $215,000 wage.
Cory Sandhagen’s next fight
Sandhagen’s next fight will be against Brazilian fighter Deiveson Figueiredo. He will face the “God of War” at UFC Des Moines in the main event match on the card.
Both men are coming into the fight off the back of defeats. Sandhagen is coming off a defeat to Nurmagomedov while Figueiredo lost to Yan to end his own three-fight winning streak.
Both men will be hoping to bounce back into title contention and the feud is heating up as the bout comes ever closer.
Sandhagen even took to ChatGPT to roast Figueiredo in a very unique way to build up to a fight in the UFC.
Cory Sandhagen’s walkout song
As a big fan of rap music, Sandhagen walks out to his fights in the UFC to “Gimme the Loot” by The Notorious B.I.G.
The song was released by the rapper in 1994 on the “Ready to Die” album.
Cory Sandhagen vs Umar Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov handed Sandhagen a bitterly disappointing defeat at UFC Abu Dhabi in August 2024, adding another setback to his quest for title gold.
The Sandman couldn’t match his opponent and was taken down five times in an uneven fight. Nurmagomedov dominated the bout and was rewarded with a unanimous decision win by the judges on the night.
While the fight lifted Nurmagomedov into title contention, it gave Sandhagen a big hit to his. A win over Figueiredo is required if he wants to build up more momentum to challenge for a world title again in the near future.