Umar Nurmagomedov says he will be fighting for the bantamweight championship if he can get through Cory Sandhagen in Saturday’s UFC on ABC 7 headliner.
Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will take on the biggest test of his career when he steps onto the main event stage for the first time against perennial contender Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in a five-round showdown at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+).
It’s not often a fighter in the position of Nurmagomedov, who is No. 10 in the official UFC rankings, gets to take on a No. 2-ranked contender such as Sandhagen, but this is the case here. A win would move him up several spots, and Nurmagomedov said he’s been told he will get the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, who fight for the 135-pound belt in the Noche UFC headliner on Sept. 14.
