After greater than a 12 months on the shelf, Umar Nurmagomedov returned to the Octagon on Saturday evening, delivering a dominant efficiency in opposition to newcomer Bekzat Almakhan.
After being knocked down within the opening minute, Nurmagomedov rallied again and ran away with the bout along with his signature Dagestani-style wrestling. He moved to 17-0 in his combined martial arts profession and signaled that he was prepared for an enormous step up in competitors.
“I wish to battle with Cory Sandhagen,” Nurmagomedov mentioned in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “It’s gonna be a contender battle.”
Showing on the post-fight press occasion, Nurmagomedov echoed comparable sentiments, suggesting that there’s already a date in place for his long-awaited conflict with ‘Sandman.’
“Proper now, they mentioned we’ve got a date,” he mentioned. “[International Fight Week] with Cory Sandhagen. Earlier than this battle they have been speaking about this. Cory talked about this and I believe it’s going to occur.”
Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov have been beforehand scheduled to fulfill at UFC Nashville in August, however Nurmagomedov withdrew from the competition. Sandhagen went on to battle Rob Font within the night’s headline, scoring a unanimous choice to make it three in a row.
Presently, ‘Sandman’ is holding sturdy on the No. 3 spot within the bantamweight rankings whereas Nurmagomedov is sitting firmly exterior the highest 10, residing at No. 13.
