UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi was this weekend, and it delivered one of the more star-studded Fight Night’s that we have seen this year. The biggest headline goes to Umar Nurmagomedov, who impressed the crowd in Etihad Arena and those watching around the world, with his one sided win over #2 ranked Bantamweight Cory Sandhagen. 

Sandhagen has been a mainstay in the division for the better half of a decade, and the narrative going into his fight with Nurmagomedov was centered around his ability to defend the non-stop grappling pressure … Which he was able to do for the most part. The struggle for Sandhagen though, was the surprising success that Nurmagomedov was able to find on the feet, out striking Sandhagen by a wide margin in total strikes on his was to a unanimous decision.

Umar Nurmagomedov now looks primed for a title shot against the winner of the bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, which takes place in Las Vegas on September 13th.

AND STILL UNDEFEATED 🔥

After five rounds @UNmgdv secures the UD at #UFCAbuDhabi!#InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/wEtEhtm9MW

— UFC (@ufc) August 3, 2024

In the co-main event of the evening, it was Shara Magomedov who got the unanimous victory over Michal Oleksiejczuk, in what was deemed the event’s Fight of the Night.

Shara demonstrated his toughness in this fight, surviving Oleksiejcuk’s best weapon in the first round, a left hook that put him momentarily on the canvas. Oleksiejcuk would continue to pressure Magomedov throughout the fight, but the constant movement and diversified strikes from Magomedov would lead him to victory, as he outstruck his opponent in every category, despite giving up three takedowns.

It will be interesting to see what is next for Magomedov. The undefeated prospect continues to impress, but shows some gaps in his fighter toolkit that he will need to address if he ever hopes to become champion in the Middleweight division.

The last big moment of the night is owed to Brazil’s Deiveson Figueredo, a newcomer to the Bantamweight Division since moving up from Flyweight, who became the first person to ever score a knockdown on Marlon Vera in his unanimous win that night. 

The former Flyweight champion is undefeated since finding a home in this new weight class, scoring wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt, and now Marlon Vera, who was coming off of a title loss to Sean O’Malley. Vera, known for his chin of steel, had not been knocked down since joining the UFC in 2015, but in the third round of his contest with Figueredo found himself sat down for the first time ever.

The fact that Deiveson Figueredo’s power seems to have carried to this new heavier division is a great sign for him, and he is on the short list for a Bantamweight title fight alongside the aforementioned Umar Nurmagomedov.

Other wins on the main card included Mackenzie Dern, who edged out a win over Loopy Godinez, and Joel Alvarez, who knocked out Elves Brenner on his way to a performance of the night bonus. 

Jacob Smith

8/5/2024

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