Cory Sandhagen details brutal hamstring injury suffered in UFC 329 loss

Cory Sandhagen suffered a suspected torn hamstring during his UFC 329 bantamweight loss to Mario Bautista in Las Vegas, an injury that severely compromised his ability to execute his gameplan over the final two rounds.

Bautista caught Sandhagen in a kneebar late in the first round, hyperextending the fighter's left leg. Though Sandhagen survived the round and notably out-landed Bautista in the second despite the injury, his movement remained visibly limited. Bautista regrouped in the third frame, dropping Sandhagen and controlling enough of the round to secure a unanimous decision victory.

Sandhagen (18-7) later detailed the extent of the damage on social media, explaining that the kneebar likely tore his hamstring and caused his leg to "lock out weird" whenever he attempted certain movements. He acknowledged that despite winning the second round, the injury derailed his strategy heading into the decisive third, where he was dropped and ultimately outpointed. The 34-year-old noted that elite-level competition demands near-perfection, a standard he fell short of meeting.

This marks Sandhagen's second consecutive loss, following an unsuccessful title challenge against Merab Dvalishvili in October. Bautista (18-3), meanwhile, has emerged as a rising threat at bantamweight, with his only defeat since 2022 coming against Umar Nurmagomedov. He has since reeled off back-to-back wins to establish himself among the division's contenders.