By FCF Staff

Cory Sandhagen is coming off a defeat, but the bantamweight contender sees a path to securing a title shot, when he battles Deiveson Figueiredo.

Sandhagen (17-5) has been booked to fight Figueiredo on May 3rd, in what will mark the first time he’s competed, since he dropped a decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov last August. The defeat snapped Sandhagen’s three-fight winning streak, which included wins over Song Yadong, “Chito” Vera and Rob Font.

Recently, the longtime contender spoke with MMA Junkie. While discussing the fight and what’s on the line with the former flyweight champ, Sandhagen outlined why he believes he can lock up a title shot.

“I think this year is going to be a really good year for me. Hopefully I’ll get in three fights and one of them will be a championship fight. That might be a little optimistic, but that’s what I’m going to shoot for. I’m just excited to get back in. I think that I’m going to look great against a guy like Figgy…“

“Whether O’Malley or Merab wins, I’m the only guy in the top five that hasn’t fought Merab,” Sandhagen said. “Then O’Malley is someone people have been begging to have me and him fight for a really long time. The way that I think that I can beat Figgy, I’m pretty sure in my head is going to be a performance that speaks very loudly to me getting a title shot next.”

Currently, Sandhagen is ranked #4 in the UFC’s bantamweight division and Figueiredo (24-4-1) is ranked #5.

Figueiredo, meanwhile, is coming off a decision loss to Petr Yan in October. Prior to that, the former champ had also won three straight.

The UFC’s May 3rd card will take place in Des Moines, Iowa.