Abu Dhabi – UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen may be the #2 135er in the world but he comes into UFC Abu Dhabi as the underdog in many eyes against Umar Nurmagomedov this Saturday.
“Umar is a unique fighter. Stylistically he’s a really tough fight. I had to work in like a lot of overtime hours in order to make sure that I was prepared for this fight,” Sandhagen told reporters on Wednesday.
“The rankings, the him coming up, the odds, the bettors, I could honestly give a sh*t less.”
Sandhagen (17-4) isn’t worried about what the odds are. He knows he has a job to do inside the octagon with Nurmagomedov in front of him.
“I’m focused on what I’m going to do Saturday underneath the lights. It’s weird that people are counting me out for this one, but I just can’t wait to prove all those people wrong,” he said.
Nurmagomedov, at his media day scrum, spoke about hoping to fight for a title next with a victory on Saturday. With Sandhagen ranked #2 it’s even more likely for him that a title shot is within his grasp with a win. A matchup with champion Sean O’Malley would be a very fun battle given both men’s skillsets.
“Me and O’Malley is a fight that the fans really want to see. I think the UFC wants that fight, and man it’s just like a fan pleaser. If we make it for gold that just becomes one of the most anticipated fights that people are asking for,” he said.
“I’ll be rooting for O’Malley and after I get this win then hopefully we’ll be fighting.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Cory Sandhagen above. He takes on Umar Nurmagonedov in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi this Saturday.
