Cory Sandhagen Believes Win Over Umar Nurmagomedov Seals Title Shot

Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov will seemingly have their fight rebooked, as both parties have informally accepted the matchup.

Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov were originally scheduled to fight this past August before an injury forced the Dagestani to withdraw from the bout. Sandhagen went on put on a masterclass against Rob Font en route to a dominant decision victory in the UFC on ESPN 50 main event. Sandhagen has since been recovering from surgery for a torn tricep he suffered in the outing.

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov returned to the Octagon last weekend, picking up a lopsided decision victory over Bekzat Almakhan at UFC Fight Night 238. The undefeated Dagestani contender subsequently called for a rebooking with Sandhagen.

Currently riding a three-fight winning streak, which includes a win over current No. 1 contender Marlon Vera, Sandhagen was originally rallying for a title shot upon his return. However, “Sandman” has now verbally accepted a rebooking with Nurmagomedov, given a win guarantees a title shot next.

“I have no problem fighting Umar, especially if they’re telling me that it’s for a No. 1 contender spot,” Sandhagen said in an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri. “If they’re that high on him then yeah, let’s go at it, decide who should be fighting for the belt next, and let’s solidify this thing for me so that there’s no more question of whether it should be me, or someone else. If I win the next one against Umar there’s absolutely no argument that I feel like I shouldn’t be fighting for the belt next.”