Bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen has called out Umar Nurmagomedov for a June showdown during International Fight Week.
It’s a fight that the ‘Sandman’ has been wanting for some time and whilst defeating the Dagestani wrecking ball is a tough task for anyone in the 135lbs division, a win over Umar would undoubtedly propel Sandhagen back into title contention.
Umar Nurmagomedov himself called out Petr Yan for an August clash in Saudi Arabia after ‘No Mercy’ earned a unanimous decision victory over Song Yadong this weekend at UFC 299 in Miami.
Umar Nurmagomedov has two opponents in mind for summer return
After a close opening round, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan was able to seamlessly blend his striking and wrestling in rounds two and three to earn a unanimous decision win over Yadong on Saturday evening.
Arguably his best performance since the Sandhagen fight back in 2021, Yan’s determination and in-octagon adjustments impressed both fans and pundits alike – including fellow Russian bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov.
The 28-year-old, who boasts a perfect professional record of 17-0, took to social media to call out both Yan and Sandhagen as potential opponents as he eyes a return to the UFC octagon this summer:
“My congratulations Peter [Yan], a good working victory. August 3 Me against Peter or me against Cory [Sandhagen].”
The August 3 card will be UFC Fight Night 243 and will be hosted at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, which has become the home-away-from-home for many of Dagestan’s UFC alumni in recent years.
In response, Sandhagen dismissed the perceived leverage that Nurmagomedov assumes he has, despite the Russian moving up to #10 in the bantamweight division only a few weeks ago:
“You want to call for higher opponents and choose your date? Come on, Umar. International Fight Week against me, brother.”
This year, International Fight Week runs from June 24 to June 30, culminating in UFC 303 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – at the time of writing, no fights have been announced for that card.
Considering the two potential opponents for Nurmagomedov, an all-Russian clash against Yan would certainly be in the interests of the Saudis, who have postponed the card once already due to a reported lack of star power.
Sandhagen has already been booked against Nurmagomedov once before, but their 2023 fight was canceled with the American instead facing Rob Font in his place; a contest Sandhagen won by unanimous decision.