Sean O’Malley has doubts about whether Umar Nurmagomedov will take part in his next bout against Cory Sandhagen.
Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov are scheduled to co-main the UFC on ABC 7 event at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3. If the bout occurs, O’Malley will be keeping an eye on it, billed as a title shot.
O’Malley was critical of Nurmagomedov, accusing the Dagestan native of frequently abandoning fights. Nurmagomedov was originally scheduled to face Sandhagen at UFC Nashville in August 2023 but was forced to pull out due to a shoulder injury.
O’Malley is also surprised by the underdog status of “Sugar,” who considers Sandhagen to be one of the most accomplished fighters on the UFC roster. The bantamweight champion believes Sandhagen is better than Nurmagomedov and answered in the affirmative when asked if he would pick “The Sandman” in the main event of the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi.
“Yeah, I’ll make an adjustment if that happens,” O’Malley told MMAFighting.com. “I know ‘Umnah’ likes to back off, if something happens, so I’d be surprised if this fight happens. I was surprised that Corey was such a longshot. I think Corey is one of the most skilled fighters in the entire UFC, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Corey beats him…I think ‘Umnah’ is as good as people make him out to be, but I think Corey is better.”
O’Malley is expected to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili later this year. If “Sugar” beats Dvalishvili, the winner of Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov could be next. O’Malley, who apparently intentionally mispronounced Nurmagomedov’s first name, agreed that a matchup with Sandhagen would be interesting.
After a 14-month hiatus, Nurmagomedov returned to the ring in March against Bekzat Almakan at UFC Fight Night 238. Nurmagomedov survived the first early knockdown of his career and grappled Almakan to maintain his unbeaten record with a unanimous decision victory.
