Undefeated Russian MMA fighter Umar Nurmagomedov is set to face Cory Sandhagen. Their bantamweight bout will take place on August 3, 2024, at the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Umar continues to maintain his dominant status in each fight. The Russian fighter is on a phenomenal winning streak and progresses every day. Cory has managed to build a short winning streak after losses to Petr Yan and Dillashaw.
Cory has the advantage in height and reach. However, anthropometry is unlikely to help him on the ground when Umar inevitably takes him down.
Umar Nurmagomedov
- 2016 Russian MMA Champion, World Combat Sambo Champion, Gorilla Fighting Championship Bantamweight Champion.
- 17 fights, 17 wins, 0 losses.
With each new fight, it becomes increasingly difficult to find any flaws in Umar’s technique and style. All we can wish for him is to delve deeper into studying his opponent’s style and maintain all his current skills.
The fight with Cory is a ticket to the top of the roster. At this rate, Nurmagomedov could very quickly become the main title contender.
What to expect from Nurmagomedov against Sandhagen?
While Umar proved in his fight with Barcelos that he can work in stand-up for all 3 rounds without resorting to his favored ground game, he certainly won’t take such risks against Cory. He’s more likely to adopt the style he used against Almaghan and try to completely paralyze his opponent on the ground.
Nurmagomedov’s task is to keep Sandhagen on the ground for as long as possible and seriously cut off his jab after standing up. If the Russian tries to engage in a striking match the entire time, he might lose a couple of rounds on the scorecards.
This time, Umar will make even more use of his low kicks and side kicks during counterattacks. So Cory won’t have much free time to retreat and think.
Nurmagomedov’s chances of winning
They are extremely high. Besides ground control, Umar’s key to victory is counterattacks, which he should throw every time Cory attacks with a combination.
This helped Yan and will undoubtedly help Nurmagomedov, allowing him to snatch precious points. However, don’t expect an early finish to the fight.
Given Cory’s durability and his defensive skills on the ground, there’s a high probability that the fight will go to the scorecards.
Cory Sandhagen
- Ranked 4th in the bantamweight division. Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. SCL Featherweight Champion.
- 21 fights, 17 wins, 4 losses.
Considering how impressively Sandman was marching towards his fight with Sterling, many MMA fans thought they were looking at a future champ who could definitely defend his belt several times in a row. But fights against top-tier Petr Yan and (not so top-tier) TJ exposed a lot of the American’s problems.
Today, he’s already been given a couple of mid-tier opponents for a record comeback. So now he has to prove to the promotion bosses that he’s considered a top fighter for a reason and possibly face one of the best fighters in the history of the flyweight roster.
What to expect from Sandhagen against Nurmagomedov?
Cory will undoubtedly try to activate from the 1st round. He understands that his main task is not to give Umar space for movement and attacks.
In addition, the American will often use counter front kicks to break the distance with his opponent and lead him to a convenient strike for himself.
And of course, Sandhagen’s main punch in this fight will be the double jab and straight. He throws this punch faster than almost anyone in the roster and will certainly be able to hit Umar during one of his approaches.
Sandhagen’s chances of winning
They all come down to his endurance. If Cory can impose his combinations every time he gets up from the ground, he will undoubtedly have chances to snatch the fight on points.
However, we understand – if Umar turns on the pressure and takes a dominant position on the ground already in the 2nd round, Cory will simply run out of strength for counterattacks.
Cory Sandhagen vs Umar Nurmagomedov: Fight Prediction
Now many skeptics will remember that Umar hasn’t had a single 25-minute fight in the cage yet. And in most similar cases, this would indeed be a valid argument. But not now.
Think about the pressure, speed, punch accuracy, and technique that Sandhagen will have to face. Now remember how his cardio dropped when he tried to catch up with similar fighters. So I definitely don’t doubt the Russian’s cardio. He was fresh after 3 rounds of wild pressure in previous fights, and will undoubtedly be able to distribute his strength for 25 minutes as well.
Right now, Umar looks more dangerous than (top-tier) Petr Yan and much faster than Aljo Sterling. So I have no doubt about his victory in this fight. After all, Cory is unlikely to be able to surpass himself, while for Nurmagomedov, everything is just beginning.