Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
A long-proposed fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has been announced when the popular, undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov will challenge his rival, second-ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen, on the Fight Night card for Abu Dhabi on August 3.
Placed ninth on the UFC rankings and a member of the popular Nurmagomedov family in the UAE, Umar is the cousin of now-retired Khabib and undefeated in 17 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bouts, including five in the UFC.
He was scheduled to fight Sandhagen last August as the main event at ESPN 50, but a shoulder injury to him scuppered the fight.
The Fight Night details have now been announced. It will be held at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).
The night is an opportunity for Nurmagomedov to move up the rankings, and tickets will go on sale from 1pm on Tuesday (May 7) via etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae. Fight Club members and early birds will get priority access. He comes on the back of his latest victory by unanimous decision on March 2 over Bekzat Almakhan in Las Vegas at UFC 238.
Sandhagen (17-4, fighting out of Aurora, Colorado) returns to the UAE capital to cement his status as top contender in the bantamweight division. The Colorado native boasts wins over Rob Font, Chito Vera, and soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar. He now hopes for a convincing win over rising star Nurmagomedov to make his case for a title shot. The fight against Font was his replacement bout for Nurmagomedov, which Sandhagen won in five rounds.
Nurmagomedov (17-0, fighting out of Chelyabinsk, Russia) looks to put the division on notice by taking out a top-ranked opponent and making his first Octagon® appearance in Abu Dhabi. Umar made his mark in the division after delivering dominant performances over Raoni Barcelos, Brian Kelleher and Sergey Morozov. Now, he sets his sights on securing the biggest win of his career by getting his hand raised against Sandhagen.
