Let’s talk about dominance for a moment, shall we? Dominance can take on any number of forms throughout the world of sports. One of the most dominant teams ever to suit up in NFL history called Soldier Field its home in 1985.
Those memorable Chicago Bears were certainly a squad that bettors flocked to the pay window to fork over some hard-earned money to wager on. All but once in the regular season that year, the Bears’ stout defense that season, led by William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Dan Hampton, and 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Steve McMichael came away victorious.
Their 15-1 record was eventually parlayed into a Super Bowl victory the following January at the Superdome against the New England Patriots. In basketball, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls were led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman and finished the regular year with a then-all-time best 72-10 mark. Like their gridiron counterparts from a decade earlier, Phil Jackson’s club scored the title at year’s end.
Look Out for Umar Nurmagomedov
Dominance also runs rampant in MMA. Throughout the sport’s history, there have been any number of names that make fans think “dominant,” such as the great Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Conor McGregor, and “DC”, Daniel Cormier. Another such name that conjures up thoughts of dominance is Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Why wouldn’t it? Khabib began his MMA career 16 years ago and never once tasted defeat inside the cage, scoring a UFC contract upon winning his 16th professional fight, with all roads leading to the UFC Lightweight Championship in 2018 and a victory over Al Iaquinta in Brooklyn. Upon Khabib’s retirement in 2020, the Nurmagomedov legacy only continued.
Enter Khabib’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC.) Heading into Saturday night’s UFC on ABC 7 main event, the cousin of “The Eagle” was ranked No. 10 in the 135-lb. division against No. 2 contender Cory Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC).
Umar Had Help From the Family
Khabib cornered his cousin over the weekend. With the stakes as high as they were for Umar Nurmagomedov over the weekend, Khabib serving as his cornerman proved to be beneficial. Not only was Saturday’s main event the first such bout for Umar since joining the UFC’s active roster in January of 2021, the victor of the headliner would also be elevated to No. 1 contender status in the bantamweight division.
In short, although the main event of the evening went the full advertised 25 minutes, this bout was one-way traffic all the way through. Right from the beginning, Nurmagomedov dumped Sandhagen, which would ultimately prove to be a recurring theme as the fight would progress.
Sandhagen had a long night inside the cage over the weekend due to Nurmagomedov being the quicker fighter and regularly landing punches. Over the course of the 25 minutes, Umar Nurmagomedov completed five takedowns, equaling a career-high, while Cory Sandhagen failed to finish either of his two takedowns.
Nurmagomedov’s Ground Game in Fifth Round Seals It
As the fight progressed to a fifth and final round, Nurmagomedov knew he had to put the fight away as a contest. Upon landing a kick to the leg, he moved in on Sandhagen to attempt a crucial takedown, which he secured. From there, he secured top mount and eventually back mount, peppering Sandhagen with ground and pound shots in the contest’s final moments.
Like we’ve seen throughout the years with the Nurmagomedov family, any time where they put an opponent down, there’s a good chance that their opponent will stay down. Round five of the Cory Sandhagen/ Umar Nurmagomedov tilt this past weekend was a prime example.
The final period of the headliner removed any doubt as to the outcome. Umar Nurmagomedov scored a unanimous decision from the arbiters (50-45, 49-46, 49-46.) In so doing, he’s now earned a shot at the UFC Bantamweight Championship at a later date.
An absolute stud 🤩@UNmgdv passed with flying colors in his first UFC main event! #UFCAbuDhabi@AbuDhabiEvents | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/woAbfTUXdb
— UFC (@ufc) August 4, 2024
Umar Nurmagomedov Compliments Cory Sandhagen in Post-Fight Interview
After the fight, Nurmagomedov talked with the aforementioned Daniel Cormier about his adversary.
“He was more tough than I expected,” Nurmagomedov said on the telecast. “These guys are really tough. He’s like iron. I think I deserve today’s win. I feel like I beat him in every single round. I tried to take him down, but he [has] good defense.”
Nurmagomedov now has time to rest up from his victory. The identity of his next opponent will not be definitively known until the middle of next month after the bantamweight title fight pitting incumbent champion Sean O’Malley (18-1, 1 NC MMA, 10-1, 1 NC UFC) and No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) during Noche UFC at the Vegas Sphere.
FWIW, Dana told me Umar will meet the Sean O'Malley Merab Dvalishvili winner for the bantamweight title
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) August 3, 2024
Final Thoughts
Whoever it happens to be, Umar Nurmagomedov’s adversary in his next fight is going to need to lock himself in the film room as soon as he gets back to Vegas and get to work screening the footage of Nurmagomedov’s past fights. The earlier he starts studying film of this guy, the quicker he’ll be able to spot his tendencies.
No sane betting man would even think of putting money down against Umar Nurmagomedov against either O’Malley or Dvalishvili.
