Cory Sandhagen will attempt to hand Umar Nurmagomedov his first professional loss later today (Sat., Aug. 3, 2024) at UFC Abu Dhabi LIVE on ABC and ESPN+ from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as well as spoiling coach Khabib Nurmagomedov’s grand plans.
The legendary Khabib just helped train Belal Muhammad for his title fight win at UFC 304 last weekend, but the former UFC champion will be back in the corner this weekend for his cousin Umar. Nurmagomedov will meet Sandhagen atop the UFC Abu Dhabi fight card in his biggest spot yet. A win for Nurmagomedov could very well lead to a UFC bantamweight title shot in 2025.
That is much easier said than done, though, as Sandhagen is one of the most durable and well-rounded fighters in the division today. Nurmagomedov has destroyed all competition to date, but “Sandman” is a different breed. Nurmagomedov will have to elevate his game even more to prove he’s the real deal and worthy of a shot at UFC gold.
Having Khabib in his corner should help, but Sandhagen still plans on playing spoiler and handing the entire Nurmagomedov clan a crushing loss this weekend in Abu Dhabi. After all, Sandhagen is being a bit disrespected by UFC oddsmakers and analysts across the MMA world.
Cory Sandhagen plans on apologizing to Khabib after he defeats Umar Nurmagomedov.
“On Saturday I plan on shaking Khabib’s hand and I plan on shaking Umar’s hand and apologizing, and saying I’m sorry I had to beat you…”
“Go win a couple more fights and we can fight for the… pic.twitter.com/7p5YVBOhRA
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 2, 2024
“On Saturday I plan on shaking Khabib’s hand and I plan on shaking Umar’s hand and apologizing, and saying, ‘I’m sorry I had to beat you,’” said Sandhagen during a recent interview with Daniel Cormier.
“Go win a couple more fights and we can fight for the belt. That’s how I see it in my head, that’s how I’ve been seeing it in my head for the last 12 weeks.”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Abu Dhabi fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ABC/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Abu Dhabi news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here, here, and here. For the updated and finalized “Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” fight card and ABC/ESPN+ lineup click here.