For the first minute or so of round 1, Iuri Alcantara had Cory Sandhagen exactly where he wanted him. The seasoned bantamweight veteran swarmed Elevation Fight Team athlete straight from the opening bell, securing an early takedown and immediately transitioning to a brutal armbar. To any reasonable mind watching, Sandhagen should have tapped.
The Coloradan fought through the pain, however, telling the media post-fight “I felt it pop, I felt it break, it didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t going to lose.”
And his willingness to survive paid off. Sandhagen spent the rest of round 1 and the beginning of round 2 drilling Alcantara with shots from top position.