Undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov will have his UFC Hall of Fame family member, Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner this weekend.
At UFC on ABC 7, which takes place at Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Umar (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) confirmed to MMA Junkie that he will once again have his cousin Khabib on hand to help guide him to victory in the main event against former interim title challenger Cory Sandhagen.
It’s a big fight in the UFC’s 135-pound division.
Umar Nurmagomedov , currently No. 13 in the USA TODAY Sport bantamweight rankings and No. 10 in the UFC’s promotional rankings, said he was promised a title shot with a victory. Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) currently sits at No. 6 and 2, respectively.
In a fight with such high stakes, it’s important for Umar to have his best team available, including Khabib, who was last in his corner at UFC 272 in March 2022 in a first-round submission victory over Brian Kelleher.
“It will be Usman Nurmagomedov, Shamil Zavurov, Javier (Mendez), and Khabib,” Umar told MMA Junkie.
Through five UFC bouts, Umar Nurmagomedov has been a dominant force at bantamweight. He has finished Kelleher, Sergey Morozov and Raoni Barcelos, while picking up decisions over Nate Maness and Bakzat Almakhan.
Khabib Nurmagomedov last appeared as a cornerman at UFC 302. He was part of the coaching team for Islam Makhachev, who defeated Dustin Poirier to retain the lightweight title. It was a return to the scene for “The Eagle” after signaling he was taking time away from the sport completely after turning in a 2022 Coach of the Year campaign with Mendez.
He returns to be in his cousin’s corner to help him navigate his way to victory against a savvy Sandhagen, who once fought for the vacant interim bantamweight title, but came up short against former champ Petr Yan.
The bantamweight title is set to be defended at Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14 when champ Sean O’Malley meets Merab Dvalishvili.