UFC 250 breakdown: Who moves up bantamweight ladder between Cory Sandhagen, Aljamain Sterling?

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC 250 key bantamweight bout between Cory Sandhagen and Aljamain Sterling.

Point of interest: Playing in quicksand

Cory Sandhegen vs. Raphael Assuncao, UFC 241

Considering that Sterling is the better wrestler on paper, I will be curious to see if he is able to exercise those perceived edges.

A two-time All-American wrestler, Sterling has demonstrated a diverse array of takedowns in his arsenal since arriving in the UFC. From reactive shots in the open to chaining to and from single-legs in the clinch, the 30-year-old contender can hit crafty finishes on the feet when he needs to. That said, taking Sandhagen down is one thing; keeping him down is another.

Slippery inside the scramble, Sandhagen has shown that he is not one to settle for bad positions, displaying a stoic composure that has surely assisted him in adverse spots before. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt in his own right, Sandhagen is far from a slouch when it comes to fighting for positions in the grappling department.

Even when taken down, Sandhagen is quick to attack whether he is throwing armbars off his back to going for triangles from an inverted guard. Nevertheless, despite showing real savvy in tough spots, Sandhagen will still need to be careful when returning to his feet, as he seems to have a propensity to tripod when looking to get back to his base.

Against a fighter who loves to break down opposition from anything resembling the turtle position, it seems that these exchanges in tight will be crucial in the grand scheme of things for both parties.

A wrestler who’s not afraid to fight out of bad spots, Sterling shows no problems when having to attack or create scrambles off of his back. Once touching down on the mat, Sterling’s funky flow comes even further to life.

Melding his wrestling base into his innovative jiu-jitsu, Sterling will combine things like chair-sits into leg weaves and rides, seamlessly climbing the walls of his opponent’s defenses. Not afraid to jump on a back, Sterling has also shown to be content in punishing opponents positionally, landing solid ground strikes when submissions are not available.

Regardless of who ends up on top, expect grappling exchanges to be both fun and technical for as long as they last.

Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction

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