And despite being aware of everything going on around him in the division, Song’s attention has been focused on Sandhagen, whom he has great respect for as an opponent and as a fighter.
“Of course I pay attention to what is happening in the division because they are potential opponents for me,” he began. “But for this fight, I’m not going to focus on those other things until I’m done focusing on my fight.
“What I like about Cory is that he has a very mature style – he uses feints to confuse his opponent, control with his distance,” he said of his American counterpart, who wears a 14-4 record when they meet this weekend in Las Vegas. “He’s a very mature and experienced fighter, which makes him dangerous.”
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But despite the obvious threats Sandhagen presents, Song does not approach Saturday’s final with a specific game plan in mind; choosing instead to let his instincts guide him, just like they did last time out against Moraes, and hopefully that will lead to the same result.
“I don’t have specific plans for the fight, but I believe my instincts with my power and speed will tell me what to do at that time,” Song explained. “Last fight, my trainer told me ‘Defense’ in the first round, but I don’t know what happened – I just went and got the knockout.
“Winning this fight is very important and would be one of the highlights of my career,” he added. “I would like to knock him out.”
If that were to happen, nothing would change – one goal will have been achieved and another will arise, with the mindset remaining, as always, “Why not me?”