‘Sandman’ faces unbeaten Nurmagomedov

Cory Sandhagen will look to end the unbeaten record of Umar Nurmagomedov when the pair meet in the bantamweight main event of a UFC Fight Night, set for the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on the evening of Saturday, 3 August.

Sandhagen (17-4) has put together an impressive three-fight win streak, claiming the scalps of Song Yadong, Marlon Vera and Rob Font to boost his hopes of fighting for the bantamweight championship – currently held by Sean O’Malley.

The 32-year-old ‘Sandman’ has admitted that this clash against Nurmagomedov will be incredibly challenging, though he is looking forward to showing off the results of hard training in recent months.

“It’s going to be a pain in the ass of a fight, to be honest with you,” Sandhagen explained. “It’s going to be a tough one. I’m ready for whatever.

“No one’s gotten to see my grappling. I know that’s going to be something that people talk about, but that’d be a fun thing for me to be able to show off, because I do work with Ryan Hall and it’s a really unique style, and I think it’s going to be a pain in the ass for him to have to deal with.

“The amount of space that he leaves is going to be a pain in the ass to deal with, but I’ll figure it out. And yeah, I trained 10 weeks already for him and I’m about to hop into another 12-week training camp, so I’ll have some really good answers for things.”

Nurmagomedov (17-0) boasts an unblemished record as a professional and was last in action in March, claiming a unanimous decision win over Bekzat Almakhan – a fifth straight win since his UFC debut in early 2021.

The 28-year-old ‘Young Eagle’ believes beating Sandhagen would take him closer to a title shot of his own: “I have been waiting for this moment my whole life and I’m ready to take on anyone in any challenge. I want to win this fight and win the belt.

“A win here will take me closer as the No 1 contender for the bantamweight title.”

The Dagestani added, “I think in my division there are a lot of tough guys and he [Sandhagen] is one of them. For me, I think it’s going to be the same as how I fight always. I will try to take him down, choke him, but I don't care. Even if I can strike him, doesn't matter. I will take him on as I have always done – as another opponent.”

The rest of the main card features a middleweight co-main between Sharabutdin Magomedov and Michal Oleksiejczuk; Marlon Vera v Deiveson Figueiredo in a bantamweight banger; a women’s strawweight bout pits Mackenzie Dern against Loopy Godinez; the welterweight feature sees Tony Ferguson face Michael Chiesa; and a lightweight opener between Joel Alvarez and Elves Brenner will get the action underway.

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen v Nurmagomedov – Main card

- Main event: Bantamweight: Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov

- Middleweight: Sharabutdin Magomedov v Michal Oleksiejczuk

- Bantamweight: Marlon Vera v Deiveson Figueiredo

- Welterweight: Tony Ferguson v Michael Chiesa

- Women’s strawweight: Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez

- Lightweight: Joel Alvarez v Elves Brenner