Nurmagomedov beats Sandhagen in UFC Abu Dhabi main event
Umar Nurmagomedov may be the next fighter from Dagestan's most famous fighting family to challenge for UFC gold.
The rising bantamweight contender defeated Cory Sandhagen, who was ranked No. 2 in the division, via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event Saturday at the Etihad Arena.
Many viewed Nurmagomedov-Sandhagen as a potential No. 1 contender bout, and Nurmagomedov called for a shot at the 135-pound title after the victory.
"Doesn't matter for me who is gonna be next. Just give me title shot," Nurmagomedov said in his postfight interview. "(Sean) O'Malley, Merab (Dvalishvili), or someone else. Doesn't matter."
O'Malley, the bantamweight champion, is scheduled to defend his belt against the No. 1-ranked Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Nurmagomedov, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer and former lightweight champion Khabib, has been touted as a future champ ever since his promotional debut in 2021. But the undefeated 28-year-old was missing a statement win over a top-ranked opponent - until now. The victory against Sandhagen is Nurmagomedov's biggest by a mile and stamps him as one of the top bantamweights in the world.
Nurmagomedov is known for his wrestling but shined on the feet Saturday in what was an extremely high-level fight. The first few rounds were competitive, with very little separating the two bantamweights. Sandhagen fended off Nurmagomedov's attempts to control him on the ground, which made for a striking battle in which both men had success.
But Nurmagomedov began to pull away from Sandhagen in Rounds 4 and 5, outworking him with punches and kicks. Nurmagomedov also established a dominant position on the ground in the fifth round, getting on top of Sandhagen midway through and finishing the fight there.
After 25 minutes, Nurmagomedov topped Sandhagen 98-71 in significant strikes and officially converted five of 13 takedown attempts.
"I have to believe in my striking," Nurmagomedov said. "For the second round, I began to feel I could beat him in striking, too. And I did this."
Nurmagomedov said Sandhagen was tougher than he expected.
"He's like iron," Nurmagomedov said. "I think I deserved the win. I feel like I beat him in every single round. I tried to take him down, but he has good defense."
Sandhagen called Nurmagomedov a "very, very, very good fighter" and said he believes the Russian will become the UFC bantamweight champion in his next fight. Sandhagen anticipates challenging Nurmagomedov for the title one day.
"I'll see him again," Sandhagen said. "He's gonna fight for the belt next. He'll probably win, and then I'll catch up to him and fight him again."
The fight between Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen was long awaited and highly anticipated among fans. It was initially scheduled to take place last year, but Nurmagomedov withdrew from the matchup due to an injury. Nurmagomedov was ranked No. 10 in the division heading into Saturday's main event, and he is all but guaranteed to move into the top three next week.
Nurmagomedov is undefeated as a pro at 18-0 and 6-0 in the UFC. He has three decisions and three finishes in his six Octagon triumphs.
Sandhagen's three-fight winning streak - consisting of wins over Rob Font, Marlon "Chito" Vera, and Song Yadong - came to an end. This was the American's first loss since 2021 when he faced Petr Yan for the interim 135-pound belt.