In Vera’s last four fights, the Ecuadorian has four wins, including two Fight of the Night bonuses and two performance bonus-winning knockouts. Although Vera is about eight months Sandhagen’s junior, he has twice the amount of UFC fights to his name since joining the roster as a 21-year-old in November 2014.
That also provides plenty of tape to dissect, and Sandhagen highly respects Vera’s durability, cardio and power, as well as his ability to utilize those tools to break opponents down. The highly anticipated, high-stakes main event is one Sandhagen sees going in a multitude of different ways, but ultimately, he understands Vera is the type of guy who relishes a good scrap.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen
“I think he just likes being in dogfights,” Sandhagen said. “I think that’s where he’s most comfortable, and I think that he’s used to that, and he enjoys that. If you’re not ready for a dogfight, you’ll definitely get f***ed up in a fight. I’m just making sure that I’m prepared for a dogfight, if that’s what it turns into.”
Originally, this fight was scheduled to take place in the UFC APEX on February 18, but a couple weeks before they arrived in Las Vegas, the promotion called an audible and moved the fight back to the March 25 fight night in San Antonio, Texas.
While a fight moving a week or two is just part of the game, six additional weeks on top of an already long camp is quite the haul. Sandhagen said he didn’t mind it all that much, though. Instead, he appreciated the opportunity to take a “little mental and disciplinary break” before going back to work.