Nothing represents the incredible highs and lows that can co-exist in the sport of MMA like a jaw-dropping knockout.
Think back to any iconic knockout and the first thing that comes to mind is sure to be the celebrations and crowd reactions immediately following the final blow.
There is, of course, two sides to this moment though as the fighter on the receiving end of the knockout will have friends, family and supporters also.
One man that knows a thing or two about stunning people with his ability to finish fights is Cory Sandhagen who back in 2021, secured one of the best knockouts of the year.
Cory Sandhagen Gives His View On Sympathy For Opponents
Sandhagen’s flying knee knockout over Frankie Edgar is sure to feature on UFC highlight reels for a long time but it was a worrying moment for Edgar’s supporters.
The legend of the sport was out cold and took some time to get his bearings back in the immediate aftermath.
In a recent live Q&A with Luke Thomas, Sandhagen was asked about the eventuality of a death inside the UFC Octagon whether his opponent’s health is something that he thinks about.
“The Sandman” dived deep into his mentality and how he doesn’t allow himself to feel for his opponent given what both men know they are signing up for.
“Umm… no [laughs]. Me and Frankie both signed up for that, you know what I mean. The human piece of me, which is different than the fighter piece of me, but the human piece of me obviously doesn’t like to see people get hurt. It definitely is a really big problem of watching people’s children watch their loved ones get hurt of their wife watch their loved ones get hurt but I think from like a fighter perspective, I care more about the people that love that person and how bad they probably feel then I do for the actual fighter because we all signed up for this.
“This is something where if you die, you die, you know what I mean. But, at least it was exciting and you did your best and you committed your life to something that was super awesome and really brave and courageous and at least you got to do that with your life and if you get to lose your life in something like that then maybe that’s a better way to go about it, not that I want that.”