Khabib‘s cousin Umar Nurmagomedov had only one fight this year before Ramadan commenced. But in the wake of the end of Ramadan, we have news that the 28-year-old will face a top bantamweight contender in the latter half of 2024. As per reports, Nurmagomedov is set to take on Cory Sandhagen in the former’s home territory.

After Umar Nurmagomedov came back from the shoulder injury, he had been relentless in his attempts to ask Dana White for a fight but found it hard to get one booked. However, things soon turned out for the better for the Dagestan native and he got his first fight in over a year in March 2024. Now, it seems like he could land an opportunity to fight for the divisional gold against his biggest opponent yet.

Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov set for Abu Dhabi

The city of Abu Dhabi will lay host to yet another UFC event before this fall. It will be a Fight Night event going down on August 3, and it will feature a high-voltage showdown between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov as the headliner in presumably a 5-round fight, which is the norm for a main event bout. Interestingly, it’s a first-time chance for the Dagestan native to clash against a top-5 contender in the 135-pound division under the UFC banner. This could also mean that whoever comes out on top could get a chance to win the bantamweight gold.

The original plans for the UFC matchmakers were for Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov to battle it out back in June 2023. However, ‘The Eagle’s cousin had to pull out due to a shoulder injury, which led to the fight getting scrapped.

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It will be interesting to see if Umar Nurmagomedov can take on someone who’s counted amongst the top 135-ers in Dana White’s promotion. Cory Sandhagen has made quite an impact since he arrived in the Las Vegas-based promotion. His credibility is justified because ‘Sandman’ has only ever dropped the ball inside the Octagon against former champions. We might just get to see another Dagestani advent in the UFC since Khabib’s cousin has already started hitting the mats even before this announcement came to the fans’ attention.

Nurmagomedov actively training with his Dagestani folks

The end of Ramadan marked the resumption of Umar Nurmagomedov’s training. The 28-year-old shared a social media post, not too long ago, of him posing with his fellow Dagestani fighter and superstar, Islam Makhachev, who joined him in training. The UFC lightweight champion is also butting heads in the upcoming PPV. Khabib’s protege will throw down his fists against the experienced Dustin Poirier to defend his title at UFC 302. Umar captioned the post: “Oh how heavy it is. The week has begun,” Umar wrote on Instagram, indicating they’ve begun to go through the toil once more.

17-0 is what Umar Nurmagomedov has achieved so far in his career. It is a clear indication that he’s got the capability to reach Khabib-esque heights in this sport. However, that record has failed to give the fans an impression he’s indeed a new legitimate contender for the throne. But before making assertions, we have to see how his first fight against a top-5 opponent turns out. This is, without a doubt, Umar’s biggest chance to fend off his critics with a performance of a lifetime.

Umar Nurmagomedov’s win streak is on the line and we’ll see if he can extend it. However, Cory Sandhagen is no easy opponent because we’re talking about a fighter who dominated Rob Font with his arm busted for the majority of the fight. What do you predict about this fight? Drop your comments below.