An anticipated matchup between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov is officially set for five rounds this summer in Abu Dhabi.
The UFC announced early Monday the bantamweight contenders will meet Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena in the United Arab Emirates in a bout that has massive title implications at 135 pounds.
Sandhagen is currently the No. 2-ranked contender in the division behind champion Sean O’Malley and next-in-line challenger Merab Dvalishvili. The 32-year-old is 10-3 since debuting in the UFC six years ago and riding a three-fight winning streak that included a doctor’s stoppage of Song Yadong and five-round decision wins over Marlon Vera and Rob Font.
His August 2023 matchup with Font took place at a catchweight of 140 pounds and it was the most recent time fight fans have seen Sandhagen compete. Sandhagen was originally paired with Nurmagomedov at that event, however the 28-year-old from Dagestan withdrew roughly two weeks out with a shoulder injury and Font stepped in on short notice.
Nurmagomedov is 17-0 as a professional and has won all five of his UFC bouts since making his debut for the organization in January 2021. He is currently ranked No. 8 in the division. Sandhagen represents a huge step-up in competition as Nurmagomedov's first ranked opponent.
The cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is coming off a three-round unanimous decision victory over UFC newcomer Bekzat Almakhan in March. Nurmagomedov was a massive 14-to-1 betting favourite yet he was rocked early in that contest before he bounced back to win all three rounds in dominant fashion, out-landing his opponent 145-5 in total strikes.
Nurmagomedov had called for a No. 1 contender’s matchup with Sandhagen following his win over Almakhan and the UFC granted the wish. Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi with a technical submission victory over Sergey Morozov.
Sandhagen has competed in Abu Dhabi twice previously, earning a main event highlight stoppage win over Marlon Moraes in 2020 and then losing a five-round Fight of the Night unanimous decision to former champion Petr Yan when they fought for an interim title at UFC 267 in 2021.
No other bouts have been announced for the Aug. 3 event at the time of the main event announcement.
O’Malley is expected to face Dvalishvili at a yet-to-be-determined date later this year and the title picture remains compelling beyond that championship matchup.
Yan is coming off a quality win over Yadong at UFC 299 in March and reinserted himself into the title conversation; former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is 2-0 since moving up to bantamweight and he looks like an emerging contender; we just saw Jose Aldo return in solid form when he took out Jonathan Martinez with ease at UFC 301; plus, this Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov tilt conceivably sets up as a title eliminator.
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