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

Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov are lastly going to battle.

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 speculated to happen a 12 months in the past, however now it’s lastly right here, and the stakes are large. So how can every man go away Abu Dhabi as the following in line to problem for the bantamweight title?

Let’s have a look.

Photograph by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures

Paths to Victory for Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi

Cory Sandhagen is kind of probably essentially 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. In opposition to Chito Vera and Rob Font, Sandhagen used his wrestling to arrange his putting and visa versa, taking the battle to the ground and controlling the motion when he wasn’t outworking his opponents on the toes.

In opposition to 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 conserving issues standing. On the toes, Sandhagen’s size and selection give him a transparent edge over the restricted Nurmagomedov, and thankfully for Sandhagen, a few of his fashion is already well-built to help this objective.

Sandhagen already is superb at sustaining his vary, dissuading strain together with his footwork, angles, and stance-switches. That footwork is vital because it’s considerably tougher for Nurmagomedov to complete takedowns in open area, particularly if he’s taking pictures from distant. Sandhagen wants to keep up the vary, keep off the fence, and keep energetic down the middle with jabs and teeps. Make Nurmagomedov pay for attempting to shut the space and by no means give him simple takedowns. That’s the Sandhagen gameplan in a nutshell.

Photograph by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures

Paths to victory for Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi

Nurmagomedov is probably essentially 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 accomplished nothing to dissuade the hype surrounding him. The truth is, the most important obstacle for Nurmagomedov to stand up the ranks has been a scarcity of individuals keen to battle him. That modifications on Saturday.

One of many huge promoting factors behind Nurmagomedov is the concept that he’s each a world-class grappler and might 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 putting is a bit overblown.

That’s to not say Nurmagomedov doesn’t have palms. He has some actual flash to his recreation, particularly together with his kicks, and he carries extra pure energy than a lot of the different fighters from the Crew Khabib battle camp. However he’s nonetheless restricted on the toes (he mainly 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 capability is a good coverup for every other shortcomings.

Nurmagomedov is elite at snatching a leg at any time when he’s in bother, or when the chance presents itself, and from there he’s very like Khabib in his capability 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 virtually nowhere. The grappling is the Nurmagomedov’s huge gun and the way he wins this battle.

Prediction

Cory Sandhagen is kind of probably essentially the most troublesome fashion matchup within the bantamweight division for Umar Nurmagomedov. Together with his expertise, well-rounded abilities, and superior putting, 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 healthier. 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