Cory Sandhagen will fight Umar Nurmagomedov as long as he’s guaranteed a title shot with a win.
Nurmagomedov called out Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) after defeating newcomer Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision Saturday at UFC Fight Night 238. The pair were scheduled to fight last August in the UFC on ESPN 50 main event, but Nurmagomedov withdrew.
Sandhagen had previously said if Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) looked impressive against Almakhan, he’d be open to rescheduling the fight. He still stands by his stipulation that he’ll fight him if winning guarantees him a title shot.
“I have no problem fighting Umar, especially if they’re telling me that it’s for a No. 1 contender spot,” Sandhagen told CBS Sports. “If they’re that high on him, then yeah, let’s go at it. Decide who should be fighting for the belt next and then 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.”
Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) defends his title in a rematch against Marlon Vera (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) headliner at Kaseya Center in Miami.
However, Sandhagen will have to wait his turn after Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC). The Georgian fighter was declared No. 1 contender after defeating Henry Cejudo at UFC 298, and will weigh in as a backup for O’Malley vs. Vera.
