Cory Sandhagen suffered ‘fully torn tricep’ at UFC Nashville, headed for surgery to repair damage

Cory Sandhagen will go under the knife to repair the damage done from a torn tricep suffered in his main event win over Rob Font at UFC Nashville this past weekend.

The veteran bantamweight contender revealed the news on his Instagram. According to Sandhagen, the injury occurred in the first round but he continued fighting for the next 20 plus minutes before ultimately winning a unanimous decision.

“Fully torn tricep in Round 1,” Sandhagen wrote. “Wasn’t able to punch or elbow with that arm without pain and it feeling like s***. Did what I had to do to win that night. Surgery this week - back soon!”

Despite dealing with the injury, Sandhagen was still able cruise to victory over Font, which marked his third win in a row overall as he continued inching closer to title contention.

A torn tricep that requires surgery will typically require an incision on the back of the arm to allow the tendon to be reattached to the bone. Recovery time varies but usually it takes approximately four to six months to return to normal activities with some physicians stating it may take up to one year to regain full range of motion.

The severe injury altered Sandhagen’s game plan as he opted to look for takedowns, grappling and ground control over Font rather than standing and striking, which is typically his most frequent strategy in fights.

Of course that didn’t stop Sandhagen from receiving criticism for his performance with UFC president Dana White reportedly getting up and leaving the arena before the main event ended.

Regardless of anyone’s opinion, Sandhagen got the job done to add the win to his resume and now he’ll likely look at a 2024 return to action after the surgery to repair the torn tricep tendon.