Umar Nurmagomedov remained undefeated after going the distance in his first UFC main event.
The marquee bout of UFC on ABC 7 at Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi was an important bantamweight clash between Nurmagomeov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and an a tricky Cory Sandhagen. After 25 minutes, Nurmagomedov figured out a way to mix in his striking and wrestling to win a decision over Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) with scores of 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46.
Sandhagen pressured from the center with strikes early, but the inevitable takedown shot from Nurmagomedov came less than a minute in. The shot was well-timed, but Sandhagen kept things standing and returned to hunting for openings with kicks and punches. Nurmagomedov’s second takedown attempt was also denied. The third was the charm, but time was short, and not much could be done on the ground before the horn.
Nurmagomedov immediately shot for a takedown to start Round 2. He briefly took the back, but Sandhagen worked free and returned to the center to resume striking. Sandhagen would land well as he darted in with punches and leg kicks. Nurmagomedov caused a wild scramble on the mat after ducking under a punch and taking Sandhagen’s back, but couldn’t secure a submission threat.
Sandhagen’s elusiveness continued to shine in Round 3. He continued to lead the striking exchanges as he switched stances and kept Nurmagomedov guessing. Nurmagomedov found Sandhagen’s back, but again, there were only a few seconds left on the clock.
In Round 4, Nurmagomedov sat on his punches more than before, which led to a few intense exchanges. Nurmagomedov waited until there was half a minute left before shooting in again, leading to another scramble sequence to close the round.
With five minutes left in a close fight, Sandhagen initially came out with urgency, threatening takedowns of his own. Nurmagomedov easily brushed his opponent aside until it was time to bring the fight to the mat on his own terms with a few minutes to go. For the first time in the fight, Nurmagomedov secured position on the ground for an extended period, and kept it there until the final horn.
"Now you can cry. I'm coming for you."@UNmgdv doesn't care who is next, he just wants a title shot after his win at #UFCAbuDhabi #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/I3dKG8wEl2
— UFC (@ufc) August 3, 2024
During his post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov called for a title shot, with no preference on fighting either the current champ, Sean O’Malley, or his challenger, Merab Dvalishvili, at Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14.
Nurmagomedov’s undefeated record stays intact, as he won his second fight of 2024. On the other hand, though, Sandhagen’s three-fight winning streak ends.
Full UFC on ABC 7 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 7.
