Cory Sandhagen on Sean O’Malley: ‘That Would Be An Incredible Fight’

Sandhagen takes on the undefeated Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight title eliminator on Saturday

All that stands between Cory Sandhagen and a shot at the UFC bantamweight title is one victory.

The catch, however, is that victory will need to come at the expense of the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.

“Dana said it–this is a number-one contender fight,” said Sandhagen, referring to UFC CEO Dana White making the bout against Nurmagomedov on ABC this Saturday a title eliminator. “I go out and win, I get the title shot next.

“No one else wanted to fight Umar, so I stepped up and we’ll see who the better man is–and who gets to fight for the belt.”

Sandhagen (17-4) is in a similar spot to where he was a year ago–when he was scheduled to fight Nurmagomedov last August. Instead, he destroyed Rob Font, who filled after Nurmagomedov withdrew due to a shoulder injury. Sandhagen tore his right triceps in the opening round against Font, yet still dominated with his grappling, collecting more than 19 minutes in control.

If Sandhagen is looking to dominate on the ground this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, he will have an altogether different puzzle to solve in Nurmagomedov.

The cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov and classic Dagestani wrestler, Nurmagomedov (17-0) has been anointed by many as the next bantamweight champion. The 28-year-old last fought in March, defeating obscure fighter Bekzat Almakhan. But that bout got very interesting in the opening 30 seconds when Almakhan dropped Nurmagomedov with a right hand.

UMAR GOT DROPPED EARLY AS THE HUGE FAVORITE #UFCVegas87 pic.twitter.com/rS8KFZZiV8

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 2, 2024

“Umar is going to bring out the best in me,” said Sandhagen, who believes he will be the first to defeat Nurmagomedov. “I’m excited to go out and have the best performance of my life.”

Prior to his triceps injury, Sandhagen put forth three outstanding victories in a row. His only three UFC losses were suffered against Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan, and TJ Dillashaw, all former bantamweight champs. A year ago, Sandhagen looked like he was on the cusp of his first-ever title reign.

“I didn’t want to get hurt and I didn’t feel like I needed a break, but I had a lot of time to reflect over the past year,” said Sandhagen, 32. “It’s time to get this as far as I can. I want to juice this thing all the way.”

Cory Sandhagen looks to defeat the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov / Zuffa LLC

If Sandhagen emerges victorious on Saturday, he wants Sean O’Malley to remain bantamweight champ.

“I am biased, I want Sean to win,” said Sandhagen, who will be watching closely when O’Malley defends the title in September against Merab Dvalishvili. “That would be an incredible fight between the two of us. If you add the belt to it, it makes it even more exciting.

“Merab is a phenomenal fighter. I’d like to take him on, too. For me, I just need to get this win against Umar.”

The last time Sandhagen was in a similar high stakes position, he lost to Yan in October of 2021 in a bout for the interim title. Sandhagen will need a career-altering showing on Saturday in order to overcome Nurmagomedov to finally get a shot at the undisputed title.

“I’m going to prove I’m better,” said Sandhagen. “This is my chance to prove I can beat a really good opponent.”