Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov are set for a bout that could determine the next challenger for the UFC bantamweight title.
At Friday’s official morning weigh-ins for UFC Abu Dhabi, Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov both successfully weighed in for Saturday’s main event, with Sandhagen tipping the scales at 136 pounds (the maximum for a non-title bantamweight bout) and Nurmagomedov slightly lighter at 135 pounds.
With the headliners both currently occupying top-10 spots in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, it’s a possibility that the winner of the Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov bout earns the right to challenge the winner of the Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili title fight that takes place at UFC 306 on Sept. 14.
In the co-main event, undefeated middleweight Shara Magomedov takes on dangerous fight finisher Michal Oleksiejczuk. Magomedov was the last fighter to weigh in, but successfully made weight at 186 pounds, while Oleksiejczuk came in at 185 pounds.
All 28 fighters competing at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday successfully made weight.
See official UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-in results below:
Main Card UFC Abu Dhabi (ABC, ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET)
Cory Sandhagen (136) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (135)
Shara Magomedov (186) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (185)
Marlon Vera (136) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (135.5)
Tony Ferguson (170) vs. Michael Chiesa (170)
Mackenzie Dern (115) vs. Loopy Godinez (115.5)
Joel Alvarez (155.5) vs. Elves Brener (155)
Preliminary Card UFC Abu Dhabi (ESPN2, ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET)
Alonzo Menifield (204) vs. Azamat Murzakanov (205)
Mohammad Yahya (155) vs. Kaue Fernandes (155.5)
Shamil Gaziev (262) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (265)
Guram Kutateladze (155) vs. Jordan Vucenic (155)
Viktoriia Dudakova (115.5) vs. Sam Hughes (114)
Jai Herbert (155.5) vs. Rolando Bedoya (155)
Sedriques Dumas (186) vs. Denis Tiuliulin (185)