DUBAI: Umar Nurmagomedov’s meteoric rise through the UFC is unprecedented. The unbeaten (17-0) Dagestani fighter is 10th in the bantamweight division without ever touching gloves with a ranked opponent.
On Aug. 3 at UFC Abu Dhabi, in front of 18,000 fans at the Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Nurmagomedov will finally face someone with a number next to their name. Not just anyone either; the number two ranked bantamweight, Cory Sandhagen. The winner is expected to be next in line for a shot at the belt, once the number one contender, Merab Dvalishvili and current champ Sean O’Malley, have also fought.
His fellow bantamweights will no doubt be hurt in this scenario, but finding a ranked opponent for the surging Nurmagomedov has been difficult. “Nobody wants to take that risk on a guy that isn’t ranked,” the UFC ‘s president, Dana White, confirmed at UFC288’s post-fight press conference, “Those are the fights that publicly everybody says they’ll take, but privately nobody wants to take them.”
UFC champions get special dispensation to wait for the right time to return, but if those below want to stay near the top of the ladder, they must stay active.
So, does Nurmagomedov feel he has earned the right to be so close to a title shot?
“Yes. Who else has a good win streak and position in the ranking?” he says.
Dagestani fighters are focused on fighting. They rarely get caught up in social media spats with rivals. They prefer to settle their differences in the octagon, and Nurmagomedov is no different. “I’m excited,” he says about his upcoming bout in a matter-of-fact style, “I just want to fight.”
Nurmagomedov is a picture of calm and determination. He is all business inside and outside the octagon. His straight-talking speaks of a man who would likely run intense sambo drills in the minutes between his obligated media interviews to stay in peak condition.
The fight against Sandhagen has been 12 months in the making, as Nurmagomedov was scratched from the original date due to a shoulder injury. Both men have since fought and won. Although typically an elite striker, Sandhagen opted to wrestle Font for five rounds — perhaps using the training camp tactics he had been honing in anticipation of Nurmagomedov.
How did Nurmagomedov view this? “I was surprised. I thought he (Sandhagen) would stand and strike, but he took him (Font) down and beat him on the ground,” he confirms. “He had good takedowns, but Rob Font isn’t a high-level wrestler and doesn’t have any defence or know how to get up.”
Nurmagomedov does not feel the need to adapt his game plan after what he saw from Sandhagen’s last fight and is confident of victory. “The plan is going to be the same. In every fight, I will use whatever I can do better (than his opponent). If it’s striking, I will strike. If I can take him down and choke him, I will do it. Why not? It’ll be an easy win.”
With a title fight between current bantamweight champ O’Malley and number one contender Dvalishvili still to be booked, talk comes back around to champions holding up divisions. O’Malley is on record saying he “doesn’t want to fight outside of the US” and with main events pencilled in until September, it could mean a long wait for the winner of Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen.
Nurmagomedov is clear on what he thinks should happen: “It doesn’t matter where O’Malley wants to fight; he should just keep fighting. I can fight anywhere; it doesn’t matter.”
He goes on to say that ideally, he would like to be in the octagon — for the belt — in December or January and does not care if it is Dvalishvili or O’Malley standing across from him. But Nurmagomedov is so committed to the fight game that he does not even care if his next bout is for the championship, an interim belt, or nothing.
“It doesn’t matter if they give me a title shot or a fight against someone else; I will not say ‘no,’ I will just keep fighting.”
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SANDHAGEN vs NURMAGOMEDOV are available now via Etihad Arena.
