Almost exactly a year later to the date, Umar Nurmagomedov will get his shot at Cory Sandhagen. The pair were set to clash on August 5, 2023, before a shoulder injury sidelined the Dagestani. He returned to action with a win over Bekzat Almakhan at a UFC Fight Night in March. Now, he will headline an Abu Dhabi Fight Night event against Sandhagen. But his teammate Curtis Blaydes has a few bones to pick with the UFC over this matchmaking!

Curtis Blaydes will take on Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 in Manchester a week before Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, finally getting a shot at a title – albeit an interim one. His last outing was a UFC 299 win against Jailton Almeida. Considering all that he has seen and been through, he believes the UFC might not be as straightforward and honest as it seems. During his latest interview, he discussed his idea of fair play in the UFC world.

In an interaction with MiddleEasy, the host asked ‘Razor’ Blaydes whether the Abu Dhabi card is fair, considering Sandhagen is a high-ranking fighter at No.2, whereas Umar is No.10. Blaydes gave his honest answer, saying, “There is nothing fair in the UFC. It’s not a meritocracy; it’s not the NFL [or the] NBA where you earn things. It’s Umar. We get it. Like, you hit the nail on the head right there [by calling it a business]. Umar, Middle East, that’s why they’re going there. Is it fair? No. But does it matter? No.” 

Umar Nurmagomedov is in Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team. He is also Khabib’s cousin, so maybe that gave him an upper hand. The Dagestani struggled to get matchups, much like Khabib and Islam, when he was on his way up. Dagestani fighters are almost always a tough puzzle to crack and, therefore, rightfully avoided by many, or so they say.

But in Umar’s case, he is going from beating unranked contenders to competing against a Top 3 opponent. Clearly, there is a big push the promotion is giving the young bantamweight. In comparison, Makhachev and Khabib were matched with ranked lightweights like Rafael dos Anjos, Edson Barboza, and Beneil Dariush on their way up. Plus, Abu Dhabi is practically a home ground for Dagestani stars, so it makes sense from a business standpoint as well.

Blaydes even discussed the fact that the UFC was primarily business, and thus, their thoughts hardly matter. In fact, this wasn’t the first time in the conversation that ‘Razor’ mentioned how the UFC isn’t a meritocracy but rather a business. The host asked him if he thinks Alex Pereira could have the next shot at a title, considering the talks about him potentially going to the heavyweight division and how the UFC has been promoting him. 

The 33-year-old replied, “It depends on him. If he wanted to fight Aspinall, he could’ve had this (UFC 304) opportunity. I fully believe that if he called Dana White right now and was like, ‘Yo, actually, on second thought, I’ll go to England. I’ll fight him.’” Considering how promotable that fight would be owing to the fact that it would give Pereira a chance to win the (interim) heavyweight belt, too, there’s little doubt the UFC would choose that over the Aspinall-Blaydes UFC 304 fight. Blaydes feels the same as well.

“The UFC will call me right now and be like, ‘Yeah, bad news, bud.’ And I get it; it’s business. This is not a meritocracy. What you do in the cage does not matter. What you do outside is what gets you title fights because that’s what the casual fans want to see,” he concluded. This accusation of UFC not being fair has been made previously as well. It was by Hayden Iverson, who called out the Dana White privilege of Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann.

Dana White’s privilege called out by social media star

A social media personality named Hayden Iverson exposed Dana White’s favoring of two fighters last year via his social handles. Pimblett and McCann are best friends who are often spotted together and compete at the highest level of the UFC. The Liverpool natives are easily recognizable due to their names, and the UK is abuzz with their fame. According to Iverson, the UFC head honcho has often favored Pimblett and McCann. 

They are also hyped on social media to get the attention of UK fans. Even UFC lightweight Mike Davis felt the same when he heard about Iverson’s opinions. Iverson explained why he felt the duo was privileged and uploaded an Instagram video about it. He reflected on how Pimblett received a co-main event against Jared Gordon at UFC 282. Molly McCann was given weaker opponents until she was up against Erin Blanchfield. She lost the fight, yet she got Julija Stoliarenko for a co-main event. Mike Davis agreed with these comments and said, “Privilege is real!”

Now, as the UFC returns to Manchester for UFC 304, Pimblett has a spot on the card against veteran Bobby Green, while McCann will take on Bruna Brasil. Yet again, two popular English stars added to the England PPV, a smart business move for the promotion. But is there any privilege or favoritism in this matchmaking? Let us know in the comments below.