Umar Nurmagomedov is gunning for gold after the biggest win of his career in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event.
Despite numerous takedown attempts being stopped by Cory Sandhagen over five rounds, Nurmagomedov always had a plan ‘B,’ which included some impressive boxing and a relentless pace that just did not slow down. In the moments when Nurmagomedov did get the fight to the ground, he threatened Sandhagen at every turn, which forced the veteran bantamweight contender to play defense far more than he unleashed his offense during the fight.
When it was over, the judges scored the fight 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 with Nurmagomedov remaining undefeated with the unanimous decision win.
“He was more tough than I expected,” Nurmagomedov said about Sandhagen. “This guy is really tough. I think I deserve the win today. I feel like I beat him in every single round. I tried to take him down but he had good defense. I have to believe in my striking. From the second round, I [was] beginning to feel I can beat him in striking, too.”
Facing constant threats with Nurmagomedov’s wrestling, Sandhagen showed off that remarkable takedown defense over and over again as he shrugged off the attempts to drag him to the canvas. Even when Nurmagomedov was able to briefly take the back, Sandhagen displayed great skill as he scrambled free and reset on his feet again.
In the striking exchanges, Sandhagen was getting the better of Nurmagomedov early but he was still wary not to overextend himself to put himself in a bad position. A leaping left hand from Sandhagen started to land more consistently but he still had to fend off some very creative wrestling coming back at him from Nurmagomedov.
While Sandhagen was very impressive defensively, his usually dangerous striking was essentially negated due to the threat of Nurmagomedov’s wrestling and grappling. That also allowed Nurmagomedov to start showing off his boxing as he started connecting on punches with Sandhagen clearly readying himself to shut down the wrestling.
Late in the fourth round, Nurmagomedov had really began establishing a devastating right hand that he was throwing with power and accuracy. He connected with that punch several times but more importantly he made Sandhagen consider his strikes, which then allowed him to drag the fight back down to the ground again.
With his coaches urging him to get busier and take more changes, Sandhagen tried to turn the tables on Nurmagomedov with more aggression but that actually backfired in the end. Nurmagomedov actually secured his best position on the ground, getting inside Sandhagen’s guard and maintaining control from the top position until the fight was over.
A dejected Sandhagen didn’t dispute the scorecards while giving Nurmagomedov credit on a job well done.
“He’s real good,” Sandhagen said. “I knew he was going to be real good. He beat me tonight. There’s nothing more I can say about it. Congrats to him. He’s going to fight for the belt next. He’ll probably win and then I’ll catch up to him and fight him again.”
With the win, Nurmagomedov undoubtedly rockets towards the top of the division and he’ll keep a close eye on the UFC 306 main event where Sean O’Malley defends his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili.
“Title shot,” Nurmagomedov declared about what’s next for him. “I don’t worry who’s going [to win between] these two. It doesn’t matter for me who’s going to be next. Just give me title shot.
“O’Malley, Merab, or someone else, it doesn’t matter. I’m here. Now guys, talk how I beat nobody. Cory No. 2 [ranked in the world]. Now you can cry, I’m coming for you.”
