Cory Sandhagen Embracing Challenge Against Umar Nurmagomedov

‘That’s where the magic lies for me, chasing that over and over again.’

Author:
Justin Barrasso
Publish date:
Jun 23, 2023

Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.

Cory Sandhagen defeated Chito Vera in March. The win was dominant, displaying that Sandhagen is a legitimate contender for the bantamweight title.

Now Sandhagen seeks to remove any remaining doubt over that. He has accepted a bout against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, which will headline the UFC Fight Night in Nashville this August.

“I’m in this thing to see how good a martial artist I am,” says Sandhagen. “That’s where the magic lies for me, chasing that over and over again. That’s what I’m about.”

On the surface, accepting this fight appears to be a shortsighted decision for Sandhagen (16–4). The argument can be made that he has little to gain and a lot to lose. He is currently ranked fourth in the division, while Nurmagomedov (14–0) is all the way at 11th. Yet Sandhagen has an entirely different perspective on why accepting this fight is a necessity.

Especially considering that the UFC was considering booking Nurmagomedov against Merab Dvalishvili, who is the top-ranked bantamweight, Sandhagen needed to take the bout to propel himself into a title shot.

“I don’t know who cares less about the rankings—me or the UFC,” says Sandhagen. “I don’t think that plays a giant piece in their decision-making. They were about to have Umar fight Merab, and that would have been a bigger gap in rankings. I see it as you have to keep fighting for your position.

“Umar is a very unique, different style of fighter. I really enjoy the challenge of figuring those types of people out. That keeps me locked in and makes me better and better. Umar is a terrific grappler and has a unique style of striking, so preparing for him has already made me better.”

Sandhagen has competed against decisively monumentally better opponents than Nurmagomedov, including the most recent bout against Vera, who had entered that fight on a tear.

“My experience is certainly an advantage, but it’s not like a giant, easily spotted advantage,” says Sandhagen. “It’s just an inch. But fights are won and lost in inches. UFC fighters are all so talented. If I can stretch out that inch, it will go a long way. The Chito fight brought out the best of me in camp. He was knocking everyone out. I know I couldn’t break for a second against him. I discovered a lot about myself in that camp and that fight. Now this fight is going to make me fight harder and harder.

“The Dagestanis have a very looming presence in the UFC. People are afraid to fight them. It reminds me of back in the day when [José] Aldo was winning a lot, and Anderson Silva was winning a lot; there became this thing where the Brazilian fighters all became really, really good. We’re all good, but only a couple of us are really, really good. No one knows if Umar is that guy yet. And 135 is a different division. You don’t get to steamroll through it. It’s the toughest division, and it’s made me a really tough fighter. I’ve been challenging myself for the past four, five years. That’s a big deal in my opinion.”

A victory against Nurmagomedov will put Sandhagen exactly where he wants. A strong performance would also allow him to reach a wider array of fight fans.

“I’m not very loud or outspoken, I’m not very flashy,” says Sandhagen. “That makes people think I’m not as good as I am. I’ve always flown underneath the radar because I keep to myself. I don’t have an extroverted personality, so it’s taken time for people to realize how good I am.

“The challenge is real here. It’s going to be a really tough fight. There is no getting around that, and that’s going to bring out the best in me.”

Ilia Topuria should put himself in position for title shot with victory against Josh Emmett

Ilia Topuria is in the process of blazing through the featherweight division. A victory against Josh Emmett on tomorrow’s UFC on ABC card should propel him into a title bout.

Topuria (13–0) was last seen in the cage dismantling previously undefeated Bryce Mitchell. He made shockingly quick work of Mitchell, ending the bout midway through the second round via an arm-triangle choke.

Emmett is destined to fall out of the title picture if he loses this bout. Winner of five of his last six, Emmett (18–3) struggled mightily against Yair Rodríguez in February in a bout for the interim featherweight belt. His best shot will be landing his ferocious assault of strikes, but this is a matchup that appears to entirely favor Topuria.

If Topuria is victorious, he should be next in line to challenge either Alexander Volkanovski or Rodríguez, depending on the result of their title unification bout in July. Or, if Volkanovski wins and then returns to lightweight, another possibility is that Topuria will fight Aljamain Sterling—permitting he leaves the bantamweight division—to decide the new champion.

A lot of variables are in place for the future, but one certainty remains. Topuria will be atop the list of contenders with a victory over Emmett.

The Pick ’Em Section:

UFC on ABC featherweight bout: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria

Pick: Ilia Topuria

UFC on ABC women’s flyweight bout: Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber

Pick: Amanda Ribas

UFC on ABC middleweight bout: Cody Brundage vs. Sedriques Dumas

Pick: Sedriques Dumas

PFL 6 lightweight bout: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Anthony Romero

Pick: Olivier Aubin-Mercier

PFL 6 lightweight bout: Shane Burgos vs. Yamato Nishikawa

Pick: Shane Burgos