Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov have been confirmed as the mouth-watering headline bout at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi.
No 2-ranked bantamweight contender Sandhagen will take on unbeaten rising star Nurmagomedov at the Etihad Arena on Saturday, August 3.
American Sandhagen, whose record stands at 17-4, 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.
On his first visit to the UAE capital at UFC Fight Night 179 in 2020, he knocked out Marlon Moraes in the second round, earning him the Performance of the Night award.
His last trip to Abu Dhabi was less successful as he lost by unanimous decision against Petr Yan for the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 267 in 2021. The contest won Fight of the Night.
Sandhagen now hopes for a convincing win over up-and-coming Nurmagomedov to make his case for a title shot against current champion Sean O'Malley.
He had been due to meet Nurmagomedov in Nashville in August last year at UFC on ESPN before the Russian withdrew due to a shoulder injury and was replaced by Font. Sandhagen beat Font by unanimous decision despite tearing his right triceps in the first round.
Nurmagomedov, cousin of former undefeated lightweight champion Khabib and older brother of Bellator champion Usman, has an MMA record of 17-0 and will be making his second appearance in Abu Dhabi.
He defeated Sergey Morozov by second-round technical submission at UFC Fight Night at Etihad Arena in January 2021.
He has also made his mark in the division by delivering dominant performances against Raoni Barcelos and Brian Kelleher.
His most recent victory was a unanimous decision win against Bekzat Almakhan at UFC Vegas 87 in March.
After the fight he delivered a heartfelt message to those suffering in the conflict in Gaza, saying: “I'm going to support, say support words for people in Gaza. I hope this world is going to wake up and have some minimum humanity to help these guys.”
Now, he sets his sights on securing the biggest win of his career by getting his hand raised against Sandhagen.
Abu Dhabi will host two UFC events this year, with its traditional pay-per-view show in October to follow the Fight Night in August. It will represent the organisation’s 19th event held in the emirate since its debut there in 2010.
In a statement announcing the two events, UFC chief executive Dana White said: “Abu Dhabi is one of the most incredible cities in the world. I love everything about Abu Dhabi, and I’m excited to bring another epic event.
“Abu Dhabi is an amazing destination, especially if you are a fight fan. I tell everyone to fly in early, check out the amazing food and experiences Abu Dhabi has to offer, and then end the trip with incredible fights.”
Tickets for the clash, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, will be available from 1pm on Tuesday, through etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae.
Fight Club members and those who registered their interest early to gain priority access were able to purchase tickets early on Monday.
For more information and to register interest for early access to tickets and event news, visit: https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/campaign/ufc-fight-night.
