Tomorrow in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, we are going to see a potential title eliminator in the bantamweight division. Former interim title challenger and current second ranked bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen (17-4) takes on the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov (17-0).
This fight was originally supposed to take place a year ago, but Nurmagomedov had to pull out of the fight. Instead of fighting Nurmagomedov last August, Sandhagen fought Rob Font. Sandhagen suffered an injury during the bout and relied on his wrestling to get a safe decision. It was his third win in a row after defeating Chito Vera and Song Yadong.
Nurmagomedov returned back in March and took on Bekzat Almakhan. There was some dicey moments for the UFC’s unbeaten bantamweight, but he ultimately won a unanimous decision. It was Nurmagomedov’s fifth win inside the octagon and if he’s able to defeat Sandhagen tomorrow night, he’ll be looking to face the winner of Sean O’Malley – Merab Dvalishvili.
UFC Abu Dhabi
The one thing about Umar Nurmagomedov is the fact that his striking is getting better and better. That said, it’s not on the level of a Cory Sandhagen. Sandhagen is much more dynamic on the feet and he uses a ton of techniques that can win him this fight if they strike quite a bit.
That said, while Sandhagen has decent takedown defense, he does get taken down quite a bit. He has tremendous grappling skills and has shown a great ability to scramble, but I don’t know if he’s ever been held down by a guy like Nurmagomedov.
When it comes to the UFC Abu Dhabi main event, I like Nurmagomedov. Something just tells me that he’s going to be able to control Sandhagen for significant portions of rounds that’s going to put Sandhagen behind the eight ball in terms of a decision. Not sure we see a finish tomorrow, but I think we see another member of the Nurmagomedov family take his place at the top of a division.
Prediction: Umar Nurmagomedov by Decision