The UFC octagon was at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The fight card was headlined by a bantamweight fight between second-ranked Cory Sandhagen and undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.
Sandhagen (17-4) entered the fight riding a three-fight winning streak. Nurmagomedov (17-0) hadn’t tasted defeat and had finished three of his five UFC opponents. Ranked 10th in the division, Nurmagomedov had the opportunity to pick up the biggest win of his career.
Sandhagen pressed forward. They exchanged leg kicks and Nurmagomedov grabbed a leg and went for a single-leg takedown. He took Sandhagen’s back. Sandhagen escaped the position and circled free. Nurmagomedov connected with a left hand. Nurmagomedov looked for another takedown but Sandhagen remained standing. Sandhagen switched stances and they exchanged leg kicks. Sandhagen looked comfortable. He delivered a hard leg kick and then went to the body with a left hand. Nurmagomedov secured a takedown with 20 seconds left on the clock. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Sandhagen.
Nurmagomedov landed first in the second round with a kick to the body. They exchanged legs kicks and Nurmagomedov looked to get the fight to the ground. He got behind Sandhagen but Sandhagen broke free and connected with a left hand. Sandhagen was dictating the pace. They traded leg kicks. Sandhagen went to the body and Nurmagomedov answered with a hard leg kick. Sandhagen connected with a counter left hand. Nurmagomedov caught a kick and took Sandhagen down. He trapped an arm. Sandhagen scrambled and stood. He turned and got free. Nurmagomedov tried to trip him but Sandhagen got to his feet. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.
Sandhagen pressed forward in the third. Nurmagomedov checked a leg kick. The pace slowed a bit. Both fighters continued to deliver leg kicks. With two minutes remaining, Nurmagomedov took Sandhagen down. Sandhagen broke the grip and escaped the position. Nurmagomedov connected with a right hand. Nurmagomedov landed to the body with a right hand. He landed a left hand to the body and took Sandhagen down. He took Sandhagen’s back. Sandhagen rolled and the round ended. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.
Sandhagen inched forward. Nurmagomedov landed a leg kick. Sandhagen responded with a jab. Nurmagomedov landed a leg kick and Sandhagen countered with a left hook. Sandhagen was more aggressive in the fourth. Nurmagomedov connected with a right hand. He followed up with a combination. Sandhagen responded with a left hand. Nurmagomedov answered with a counter combination. Sandhagen went to the body with a left hand. They exchanged kicks to the body.
Sandhagen connected with an uppercut and Nurmagomedov responded with a combination. Nurmagomedov changed levels and took Sandhagen down late in the round. Sandhagen rolled and the round ended. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.
They exchanged leg kicks. Sandhagen briefly looked for a takedown. Nurmagomedov moved away. Nurmagomedov connected with a counter left hand followed by a body kick. Nurmagomedov began pressing forward. He took Sandhagen down. For the first time in the fight, Nurmagomedov was able to control Sandhagen on the ground. Sandhagen delivered elbows from the bottom. He tried to scramble but Nurmagomedov maintained top position. He delivered a few short punches before the round ended. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.
The judges scored the fight for Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision. The scorecards read 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46.
