Now, that's how you stake your claim for a title shot.
Cory Sandhagen caught Frankie Edgar with his head down and used the moment to explode with a flying knee that instantly slept Edgar, whose body fell stiff to the canvas. The 28-second obliteration in Saturday's UFC Fight Night co-main event was an instant knockout for the ages, as the second-quickest flying knee KO in UFC history — only behind Jorge Masvidal's five-second KO of Ben Askren in July 2019 at UFC 239.
The way Sandhagen's knee ricocheted flush off Edgar's chin at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas instantly sent mixed martial arts fans and critics alike into a frenzy on social media.
Although Sandhagen was well aware of what he just did to Edgar, he couldn't bring himself to watch the violent instant replay.
"It feels good, man," Sandhagen said in the Octagon, "but that's Frankie Edgar ... I don't want to watch that."
He added: "I'm a different monster from before when I fought Aljamain Sterling."
After losing to Sterling by first-round submission (rear-naked choke) in June 2020, Sandhagen has blasted Marlon Moraes via second-round TKO (spinning wheel kick and punches) and now Edgar in explosive fashion in the bantamweight division.