UFC Abu Dhabi Preview
The UFC is heading back to the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, August 3rd for UFC on ABC 7. The main event will be a bantamweight title eliminator between #2 Corey Sandhagen vs. #10 Umar Nurmagomedov.
The two fighters were originally scheduled to fight a year ago in a headliner, but Nurmagomedov withdrew from the event due to a shoulder injury. Rob Font stepped in for Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen won the fight by unanimous decision.
Sandhagen has won three straight since unsuccessfully challenging for the interim title against Petr Yan at UFC 267. The 32-year-old has waited patiently for his title shot and has been a top contender at 135 pounds since 2019. A win on Saturday will make him undeniably the next challenger for the bantamweight title. He would face the winner of champion Sean O ‘Malley and #1 contender Merab Dvalishvili who are scheduled to fight in September at UFC 306.
Despite his recent winning streak, Sandhagen felt he had to go through an evolution before this fight with Nurmagomedov. “Umar brought the best out of me in this fight camp,” Sandhagen said. “I've never worked so many hours to learn more and more and more and more. Of course, that, paired with the physical piece and then the mental piece and just all of it, I've already pushed myself harder than I've ever had to push myself, which is great. (I’m) super grateful for that.
“I feel like I unlocked some new things inside of myself.”
Sandhagen has responded as of late to the criticism of his last fight being accused of fighting a “safe fight.”
“I feel like the sport has gotten really big in the last few years, and there's still so much beauty that isn't like tapped into and understood by the fan base,” he said. “Instead of just complaining about people bitching online and just being s**tty online or whatever, I'll help them understand a little bit better of how awesome this art can be and how it is an art. It's not just full drama and two chimpanzees fighting each other. It's not that. It's a beautiful piece of art that these guys spend their entire lives trying to do.”
After putting in the work during his fight camp, Sandhagen feels he is going to surprise everyone on Saturday, including Nurmagomedov. “One of my favorite pieces of martial arts is just solving the puzzle,” he said. “I find a lot of joy and a lot of fun with that, and fans find it interesting to watch. I think it's going to be very impressive on my end, and it's going to catch you off guard with the way that I feel like I've learned to dismantle that style.”
He concluded, “I'm really grateful that I get to fight with Umar,” he said. “(He) pushed me to be better than I feel like I've ever been.”
Aside from Front, Sandhagen has key wins over Marlon Vera, Song Yadong, Frankie Edgar, Marlon Moraes, Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker. His only losses in the UFC have come to former champions Aljamain Sterling, T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan. If he can defeat Nurmagomedov on Saturday, a fight with either O’Malley or Dvalishvili will be an exciting title fight for Sandhagen and UFC fans.
Nurmagomedov is undefeated and is 5-0 in the UFC. He most recently defeated Bezkat Almakhan in March. Sandhagen represents a step up in challenge for the 28-year-old but also a golden opportunity to jump the line and fight for a title.
The 28-year-old has confirmed this is in fact a title eliminator fight for him. "In one moment I can change my life and my family's life, and my friends' lives," Madrimov said. "I will be ready because it is an opportunity for me, my family and my country."
Nurmagomedov commented on current bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. “I just want to beat him. I just want to take his belt. But personally, for him, I don’t know nothing.”
For Sandhagen a shot at the undisputed title will have been a long time coming should it happen. For Nurmagomedov, if he wins on Saturday, he will have beaten the contender his critics say are missing from his resume.
The rest of the main card:
Middleweight - Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
Bantamweight - #4 Marlon Vera vs. #6 Deiveson Figueiredo
Welterweight - Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa
Women's Strawweight - #7 Mackenzie Dern vs. #10 Loopy Godinez
Lightweight - Joel Álvarez vs. Elves Brener
Prelims on ESPN+:
Light Heavyweight - Azamat Murzakanov vs. Alonzo Menifield
Lightweight - Mohammad Yahya vs. Kauê Fernandes
Heavyweight - Shamil Gaziev vs. Don'Tale Mayes
Lightweight - Guram Kutateladze vs. Jordan Vucenic
Women's Strawweight - Victoria Dudakova vs. Sam Hughes
Lightweight - Jai Herbert vs. Rolando Bedoya
Middleweight - Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin
