Following the loss, Sandhagen began seeing a Sports Performance coach, and while you can’t solely credit his subsequent four-fight, four-knockout streak to his work with this coach, it certainly hasn’t hurt the Aurora native.
“All it is is a reminder,” he said. “This is what matters right now, and you’re going home with this win and you’re going to do what you have to do in order to make that happen. When things get ugly, it’s very easy to crumble, and if you don’t remind yourself or have a reminder of why it is so important to you, then it’s easy to quit then.”
Seeing those lessons in action isn’t just an example to fight fans, but fans of his who are far removed from the fight business: the kids he works with at Mount Saint Vincent’s in Denver.
Working on math and reading with traumatized and abused children that range from six to 13 years old, Sandhagen may be on the verge of big things in the UFC, but that won’t let him stray from a gig that is more than a job to him.
“This is one of those jobs where if you’re not a very passionate person about actually getting these kids to have better lives, you’re not going to have any motivation to show up,” said Sandhagen, who has worked at Mount Saint Vincent’s for four years. “It’s hard work emotionally. You have to enjoy the job to do it, and I really do enjoy it.”
And no, these kids aren’t watching every fight card or scouring the internet for news on the big stars of the UFC, but Sandhagen’s lessons apply to anything they choose to do, and that makes it all worth it for the bantamweight standout.
“The few kids that I do actually get to spark a little bit of light in, I think it helps because they listen,” said Sandhagen. “I tell them that even if you want to do something cool like be a DJ or be a professional athlete or whatever it is, you have to be able to do math so that people aren’t screwing you over in the future. So with the few I get to talk about it with, I think that they look up to me. I wish that I could be there a little bit more. I’d like to think that they have someone to look up to a little bit.”
Sandhagen is a good example for any of them. He works hard, cares about his craft, and refuses to let adversity stop him. On January 19, when he faces one of the top bantamweights in the world, there will likely be more adversity. He knows it, too. And it doesn’t bother him in the slightest. He’s been there before. And he can’t be broken.
“I know that I’m human and I know that the person I’m fighting is human as well, so for me to act like I’m gonna go and just completely destroy Lineker is completely foolish,” Sandhagen said. “I’m ready for a really gritty fight where I could possibly get hurt if I don’t stay very focused, and that doesn’t scare me. It brings me confidence knowing that I have that type of mindset and I’m ready. If the Alcantara fight repeats itself, I’m going in ready for that. I see a lot of guys make the mistake of thinking they’re going to walk through someone, things start going poorly and they just fold. I always prepare for the worst.”
