UFC Abu Dhabi paths to victory: How can Cory Sandhagen or Umar Nurmagomedov depart because the No. 1 contender?

Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov are lastly going to struggle.

This Saturday, Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov face off in the primary occasion of UFC Abu Dhabi, with a bantamweight title shot presumably on the road. It was a matchup that was purported to happen a yr in the past, however now it’s lastly right here, and the stakes are huge. So how can every man depart Abu Dhabi as the following in line to problem for the bantamweight title?

Let’s have a look.

Picture by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Photographs

Paths to Victory for Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi

Cory Sandhagen is sort of presumably probably the most well-rounded fighter within the UFC’s bantamweight division. A various striker who makes use of his size and selection on the toes, together with frequent stance switches, to maintain his opponents guessing, however in current outings we’ve seen Sandhagen lean on his wrestling recreation extra. Towards Chito Vera and Rob Font, Sandhagen used his wrestling to arrange his placing and visa versa, taking the struggle to the ground and controlling the motion when he wasn’t outworking his opponents on the toes.

Towards Nurmagomedov although, it’s unlikely we see a lot of that offensive wrestling recreation from Sandhagen. Umar is an distinctive floor fighter and so the plan for Sandhagen should start and finish with protecting issues standing. On the toes, Sandhagen’s size and selection give him a transparent edge over the restricted Nurmagomedov, and fortuitously for Sandhagen, a few of his fashion is already well-built to help this purpose.

Sandhagen already is superb at sustaining his vary, dissuading stress along with his footwork, angles, and stance-switches. That footwork is vital because it’s considerably harder for Nurmagomedov to complete takedowns in open area, particularly if he’s capturing from distant. Sandhagen wants to take care of the vary, keep off the fence, and keep energetic down the middle with jabs and teeps. Make Nurmagomedov pay for attempting to shut the gap and by no means give him straightforward takedowns. That’s the Sandhagen gameplan in a nutshell.

Picture by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Photographs

Paths to victory for Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi

Nurmagomedov is probably probably the most hyped prospect in all of MMA. Making his UFC debut in 2021, and carrying the burden of expectation that comes from sharing a final title with one of many best fighters of all time, Nurmagomedov has achieved nothing to dissuade the hype surrounding him. In reality, the most important obstacle for Nurmagomedov to stand up the ranks has been an absence of individuals keen to struggle him. That adjustments on Saturday.

One of many large promoting factors behind Nurmagomedov is the concept he’s each a world-class grappler and may strike. That’s a bit reductive, but it surely’s not far off. Nurmagomedov is an distinctive wrestler and grappler, as his cousin Khabib and youthful brother Usman are, nevertheless, his placing is a bit overblown.

That’s to not say Nurmagomedov doesn’t have fingers. He has some actual flash to his recreation, particularly along with his kicks, and he carries extra pure energy than a lot of the different fighters from the Crew Khabib struggle camp. However he’s nonetheless restricted on the toes (he principally by no means makes use of his left hand), and has some unhealthy tendencies, particularly defensively. However in the end, it hasn’t mattered but as his grappling means is a superb coverup for every other shortcomings.

Nurmagomedov is elite at snatching a leg each time he’s in bother, or when the chance presents itself, and from there he’s very like Khabib in his means to run the pipe, chain strategies, and transfer opponents to the fence or sneak to the again. It’s a multilayered grappling assault and one he can provoke out of just about nowhere. The grappling is the Nurmagomedov’s large gun and the way he wins this struggle.

Prediction

Cory Sandhagen is sort of presumably probably the most tough fashion matchup within the bantamweight division for Umar Nurmagomedov. Along with his expertise, well-rounded expertise, and superior placing, he presents a large leap up in competitors for Nurmagomedov. It’s like going from driving go-karts to driving a Method 1 automobile.

However Nurmagomedov is Max Verstappen.

Sandhagen is well-rounded, however he’s by no means been an elite defensive wrestler, and for pretty much as good as he could also be on the bottom, Nurmagomedov is best. That is going to be a popping out social gathering for the highly-touted Dagestani as he punches his ticket to a bantamweight title shot.

Umar Nurmagomedov def. Cory Sandhagen by way of submission (rear-naked choke) — Spherical 3, 2:20