The bantamweight division is poised for a highly anticipated showdown between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC on ABC 7 on August 3rd! Set to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the bout will determine who gets to challenge for the bantamweight title next. Nurmagomedov is currently ranked no. 10 in the division and faces his toughest test so far against the no.2 ranked Cory Sandhagen.
The Dagestani fighter is undefeated in the UFC, and a win over ‘The Sandman’ will catapult him to the top 5 of the division. With such a crucial matchup ahead, the MMA sphere is curious to know if Khabib Nurmagomedov will be making an appearance to corner his cousin for the fight. Let’s find out!
Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov will be landing in Abu Dhabi to corner Umar Nurmagomedov
Once he stepped away from competition in 2020, ‘The Eagle’ quickly made the transition to a coach. He initially handled the corner and training duties for other Dagestani fighters and teammates like Islam Makhachev. But in January 2023, Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he would be completely stepping away from his coaching and cornering responsibilities to focus on his family.
Almost a year later, ‘The Eagle’ decided to return for Makhachev’s third title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Now, in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Umar Nurmagomedov has revealed that ‘The Eagle’ will be gracing the UFC with his presence once more to corner his cousin!
In the same interview, Umar also stated that the UFC has confirmed that a win against Sandhagen could lead him to a title shot against the winner of Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight title fight at ‘Noche UFC’ in September.
However, while he has enlisted the support of ‘The Eagle’ for this clash, Cory Sandhagen isn’t one to be outdone easily as his corner for this fight will include one of the most recognizable coaches in the UFC. Here’s a hint: he also trains Justin Gaethje!
Cory Sandhagen joins forces with renowned MMA coach for clash against ‘The Eagle’s cousin
‘The Sandman’ is known by the fans for his incredible striking techniques and a vast arsenal inside the Octagon that makes him a dangerous matchup for anyone. Sandhagen has also challenged for the interim bantamweight championship against Petr Yan at UFC 267 in 2021, but unfortunately, lost the bout via unanimous decision. This time, with a shot at the undisputed title on the line, Sandhagen has added Trevor Wittman to his team to make sure he doesn’t falter!
In an interview with MMA Junkie, ‘The Sandman’ revealed, “I’ve been with Trevor for about four months now. Working with Trevor has been great, he’s super impressive, he really knows how to work with the athletes on the technical strategic side of things, I haven’t met anyone better, honestly”
Wittman is renowned for the work he has done with former champions, Kamaru Usman and Rose Namajunas in the past, as both fighters reached incredible heights under his expert tutelage. Now, it remains to be seen if the team of Sandhagen and Wittman will be able to solve the puzzle that is the undefeated Dagestani phenom, Umar Nurmagomedov.
