Final Combating Championship (UFC) is simply at some point away from the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi blended martial arts (MMA) occasion, which is about to go down tomorrow evening (Sat., Aug. 3, 2024) on ABC, ESPN2, and ESPN+ from inside Etihad Area on “Battle Island” in Abu Dhabi, UAE, that includes a bantamweight most important occasion between No. 2-ranked contender Cory Sandhagen and undefeated 135-pound prospect Umar Nurmagomedov, a five-round headliner with main title implications for late 2024 and past.
Earlier than we preview and predict the principle and co-main occasion contests, which incorporates the 185-pound scrap between red-hot middleweight Sharabutdin Magomedov and Polish powerhouse Michał Oleksiejczuk, get all the newest “Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” odds and betting props courtesy of DraftKings proper right here. For the remainder of the UFC Abu Dhabi most important card predictions CLICK HERE. Reminder: Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque was lately pulled from the cardboard as a consequence of (cough) “journey points” within the Diaz camp.
135 lbs.: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Cory “Sandman” Sandhagen
Document: 17-4 | Age: 32 | Betting line: +245Wins: 7 KO/TKO, 3 SUB, 7 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 3 DECHeight: 5’11“ | Attain: 70” | Stance: SwitchSignificant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.33 | Putting accuracy: 44percentStrikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.40 | Putting Protection: 58percentTakedown Common: 1.36 (33% accuracy) | Takedown Protection: 64percentCurrent Rating: No. 2 | Final struggle: Unanimous choice win over Rob Font
Umar Nurmagomedov
Document: 17-0 | Age: 28 | Betting line: -305Wins: 2 KO/TKO, 7 SUB, 8 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DECHeight: 5’8“ | Attain: 69” | Stance: OrthodoxSignificant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.75 | Putting accuracy: 69percentStrikes Absorbed Per Minute: 0.56 | Putting Protection: 76percentTakedown Common: 4.51 (56% accuracy) | Takedown Protection: 100percentCurrent Rating: No. 10 | Final struggle: Unanimous choice win over Bekzat Almakhan
Cory Sandhagen is comfortably seated within the No. 2 spot at 135 kilos, behind Merab Dvalishvili and champion Sean O’Malley. “Sandman” was in a position to rebound from back-to-back choice losses to TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan to seize three in a row, having final seen motion at UFC Nashville roughly one 12 months again. The prolonged layoff was a results of a triceps damage suffered in his Rob Font victory in “Music Metropolis,” the tenth straight time Sandhagen has fought a ranked opponent — 4 of them former UFC champions. Now coaching full time beneath placing specialist Trevor Wittman, Sandhagen is hoping to introduce a extra harmful model of himself when the cage door closes this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
“I’ve been with Trevor for about 4 months now,” Sandhagen advised MMA Junkie. “Working with Trevor has been nice. He’s tremendous spectacular. He actually is aware of the way to work with the athletes on the technical, strategic aspect of issues. I haven’t met anybody higher truthfully. He far exceeded my expectations on what he was going to be, and that’s actually cool as a result of I didn’t actually know. I actually really feel like me, Trevor, Ryan Corridor, head coach Carrington Banks, they got here up with the recipe for achievement on this one, and I simply received to go on the market and execute.”
Their UFC Abu Dhabi headliner is scheduled for 5, five-minute rounds.
“This camp has been a handful,” Sandhagen continued. “Combating somebody that’s this effectively rounded is a handful. So, it’s been the whole lot. I actually needed to push myself actually far with a purpose to be taught sufficient, perceive issues sufficient, and in addition the bodily and psychological preparation. You add in a very distinctive fashion of preventing with somebody that’s actually good at placing and actually good at grappling, it makes you’re employed actually exhausting. So, I labored my ass off this camp.”
Umar Nurmagomedov is undefeated in his skilled MMA profession and simply getting into his aggressive prime at age 28. He’s additionally coached and cornered by former UFC light-weight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who beforehand contributed to different UFC titleholders like Islam Makhachev and Belal Muhammad. Umar competed for Skilled Fighters League (PFL) on two separate events and has solely been with UFC since early 2021. In 5 journeys to the Octagon, Nurmagomedov has compiled a 5-0 mark with three nasty finishes and can enter this contest only a few months faraway from his choice victory over Worldwide standout Bekzat Almakhan. Like his UFC Abu Dhabi opponent, Nurmagomedov is harmful wherever the struggle goes and already has his eyes on a possible title shot.
“I hope I’ll struggle subsequent, they stated I’ll struggle whoever will win (between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili),” Nurmagomedov advised MMA Junkie. “I believe they pray, they hope I’ll pull out and won’t take this chance to struggle for the title. They need this. For me it doesn’t matter who wins. It’s a really exhausting struggle for each. One is a wrestling, one is a striker with peak. He’s tall. Stylistically, for me, personally it’s very tough to say who’s going to win. I don’t know.”
O’Malley defends his bantamweight title towards Dvalishvili at The Sphere in September.
“[Fighting O’Malley is] by no means going to be near Khabib and Conor (McGregor) as a result of they’ve private hate,” Nurmagomedov continued. “He talked dangerous about faith, household, the whole lot — father. I don’t know. I see Sean’s persona, he’s not too soiled of an individual to speak dangerous about my household or my faith. But when we are going to struggle it’s Irish vs. Dagestan once more. It’s going to be attention-grabbing, however I believe it’s not going to be similar. I simply need to beat him. I simply need to take his belt. However personally, for him, I don’t know nothing.”
The deciding issue on this contest shall be Sandhagen’s takedown protection. That’s not to remove from Nurmagomedov’s placing, which is nice sufficient to provide “Sandman” issues on the ft, however why move up the trail of least resistance? Umar has 14 takedowns in 5 UFC fights and Sandhagen’s takedown protection is … not nice. That stated, we even have to acknowledge that Nurmagomedov has but to face a really elite bantamweight, one thing Sandhagen has been doing for many of his profession. I count on this to be carefully contested battle for many of the struggle, with Nurmagomedov stealing the deciding spherical by scoring a well-timed takedown.
Prediction: Nurmagomedov def. Sandhagen by choice
185 lbs.: Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
Sharabudtin “Shara Bullet” Magomedov
Document: 13-0 | Age: 30 | Betting line: -238Wins: 11 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DECHeight: 6’2“ | Attain: 73” | Stance: OrthodoxSignificant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 7.10 | Putting accuracy: 74percentStrikes Absorbed Per Minute: 2.95 | Putting Protection: 35percentTakedown Common: 0.00 (0% accuracy) | Takedown Protection: 78percentCurrent Rating: Unranked | Final struggle: Technical knockout win over Antonio Trocoli
Michal “Hussar” Oleksiejczuk
Document: 19-8, 1 NC | Age: 29 | Betting line: +195Wins: 14 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 6 SUB, 1 DECHeight: 6’0“ | Attain: 74” | Stance: SouthpawSignificant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.07 | Putting accuracy: 50percentStrikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.27 | Putting Protection: 61percentTakedown Common: 0.73 (44% accuracy) | Takedown Protection: 48percentCurrent Rating: Unranked | Final struggle: Submission loss to Kevin Holland
Sharabutdin Magomedov is the brand new child on the middleweight block, who signed with UFC again in late 2023 after a torrid run on the worldwide circuit that was highlighted by 9 straight knockout finishes. Sounds nice on paper, however let’s additionally preserve issues in perspective since most of his opponents have been graduates of the Worldwide Academy of Heat Our bodies, like Yincang “The Microwave” Bao and Kushal “The Maniac” Vyas. In two fights with UFC, “Shara Bullet” decisioned Bruno Silva (UFC 294) and starched Antonio Trocoli (UFC Saudi Arabia). He lands a ridiculous 7.10 important strikes per minute at 74-percent accuracy, exceptional numbers at this stage however stats which can be more likely to go down as he climbs the middleweight rankings and begins going through a number of the greater names within the division. Till then, the Dagestani striker must accept his revenge plot this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
“Frankly talking, I wished to struggle such an skilled fighter who has 8-10 fights [in the UFC],” Magomedov advised a bunch of reporters in Abu Dhabi (transcribed by Sherdog). “And he, so far as I do know, has round 12-13 UFC fights and in addition beat two Russian fighters and even three. I don’t like the truth that he beat our guys. I must proper this flawed.”
Opponent Michal Oleksiejczuk holds first-round knockout wins over Gadzhimurad Antigulov (UFC St. Petersburg) and Shamil Gamzatov (UFC 267).
“I wouldn’t say it’s too private however he made some memes about me like, ‘If you wish to be a part of the large guys membership I’m right here to greet you within the Octagon’ — as if he’s form of an enormous,” Magomedov continued. “Sure he’s a very good fighter, a strong opponent with a clumsy standup, a southpaw. However all through my total profession I’ve fought with awkward guys. However when the struggle began I gave the impression to be a clumsy opponent for them, not the opposite means round.”
Oleksiejczuk is a harmful striker with 14 knockouts in 19 wins, having plastered the likes of Cody Brundage and Sam Alvey, amongst others. His most tough struggle in UFC has been with consistency, as “Hussar” (a callback to Poland’s heavy cavalry within the sixteenth century) is simply above the .500 mark at 7-6 with one No Contest. Extra regarding is the truth that Oleksiejczuk is coming off back-to-back losses and has now dropped three of his final 4 — all by means of submission. A part of the issue is the Pole’s takedown protection, or lack thereof, giving opponents who don’t need to stand-and-bang a simple different. I’m undecided that issues for the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main occasion, until Magomedov finds himself in hassle on the ft.
“Borralho and Pereira are high fighters in my class,” Oleksiejczuk beforehand advised UFC.com about his current losses. “I made a couple of errors, however I consider that at some point I’ll turn out to be UFC champion. The struggle with Pereira was a tough expertise for me. I had an awesome coaching camp and it’s a pity that I didn’t present a very good struggle. However I don’t surrender and I nonetheless consider in myself. After a defeat, I all the time need to win in any respect prices, and on Saturday, it would present within the struggle.”
Oleksiejczuk has extra expertise in UFC and fought harder opponents, however he was additionally out-struck by Dustin Jacoby and holds a earlier drug check failure for Clomiphene. Together with his consistency points it’s exhausting to select him towards Magomedov, who has momentum on his aspect and a second residence in Abu Dhabi. Contemplating these two will each be in search of the knockout, I’d be shocked if this struggle noticed a second spherical.
Prediction: Magomedov def. Oleksiejczuk by knockout
Reminder: For the remainder of the UFC Abu Dhabi most important card predictions CLICK HERE.
MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of the whole UFC Abu Dhabi struggle card RIGHT HERE, beginning with the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, that are scheduled to start at 12 p.m. ET, adopted by the remaining most important card stability on ABC/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET.
To take a look at the newest and best UFC Abu Dhabi information and notes make sure to hit up our complete occasion archives right here, right here, and right here. For the up to date and finalized “Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” struggle card and ABC/ESPN+ lineup click on right here.
