MMA fight prediction Cory Sandhagen vs Umar Nurmagomedov.

Soon, the UFC will again go to Abu Dhabi, to the same Etihad Arena, to host one of the most charged events of the UFC onABC 7 series. It will take place on the night of August 3-4, and will end with the long-awaited fight of Umar Nurmagomedov against Cory Sandhagen. For the Dagestani athlete, victory in this fight is a direct road from the outskirts of the top ten, to the Top 3, so everyone expects the best, phenomenal performance from Umar. But will his technical arsenal be enough to surpass The Sandman? 

• Cory Sandhagen vs Umar Nurmagomedov;
• Cory Sandhagen;
• Umar Nurmagomedov;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Cory Sandhagen vs Umar Nurmagomedov

Cory Sandhagen

After a serious drawdown in his career, Corey went on a winning streak and took 2nd place in the division rankings. Prior to his MMA career, Sandhagen shone at the world level in kickboxing, becoming the WKA World Champion. In mixfight, he took the top of the SpartaCombat League promotion, and in the UFC, he reached the status of a contender for an interim belt, but could not assign it. By the way, Corey, despite his passion for striking technique, is also developing the ground, having already reached the brown belt. 

Strengths

The Sandman strikes are a real art, because he moves smartly, optimally uses the length of his limbs, uses non-standard combos, kicks and does not hesitate to use unique feints. Also, the fighter is good at setting up defense at each of the levels, and in addition to working as a leading link, he skillfully fails the opposition, punishing it with all kinds of counterattacks. 

Weaknesses

Sandhagen has always had a hard time with the first numbers, who huddle to the net and spam takedowns - a standard story for clean strikers. On the ground, despite having BJJ skills, Corey is more likely to be a skillful defender than to develop the initiative himself. And over the years, it became clear that when this guy is intensively beaten, his cardio sags much faster than when he is in control of the situation. 

The current form and readiness of the fighter

The Sandman is only 32 years old, and he has already seen ups and downs, having lost 2 fights out of the last five. Petr Yan and TJ Dillashaw were better than him at a distance of 5 rounds, but having moved to the opposition of the level of Yadong, Vera and Font, who are unlikely to ever become champions, he wins. Now the American is waiting for a fight with a dangerous prospect, and if he loses, he will roll back so far that he can hardly dream of the title - this is his main motivation. 

Umar Nurmagomedov

Umar closes the top 10, and still does not know defeats in the professionals. His basic styles create a unique mix: the championship of Dagestan and the North Caucasus Federal District in Thai boxing, the status of the country's champion in MMA, the first place in the World Championship in combat sambo. After going pro, Nurmagomedov took the belt of the GFC organization, and for 5 fights in a row, he smashes opponents under the UFC banner. 

Strengths

Umar demonstrates exorbitant indicators in the accuracy of blows, and just as well defends himself from them, receiving almost no damage. As part of the promotion, no one managed to transfer him to the flooring, but the Russian himself does it with enviable constancy. Control, submission play, ground and pound, it would seem, what else do you need for a person with such a surname? But no, this guy is also good at kicks, movements, and also hits from both right-handed and left-handed stances. 

Weaknesses

Probably, Nurmagomedov may face certain gaps in defense against lightning-fast jabs of his counterpart, but otherwise, his only mistake in all aspects is the absence of such opponents in the past as Sandhagen. Who knows, maybe this burnt top will open our eyes to Umar's shortcomings? 

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Nurmagomedov is 28 years old, his winning streak consists of 17 fights, in the last of them, he defeated Bekzat Almakhan, Raoni Barcelos and Nathan Maness. Umar is confidently gaining momentum, has excellent cardio, and is now maximally charged to get close to the title fight in two steps. He is always ready to fight at a crazy pace, and the next meeting will be no exception. 

Comparative analysis

Sandhagen will be noticeably taller than Umar, about 7.5 cm separate them vertically, but only 2.5 cm in arm span. And this gives reason to believe that Corey's movements and counter-jab will not have such a colossal impact in the fight, against the backdrop of discouraging pressure from Nurmagomedov. The American will try to meet him not only with the right straight, but also with a flying knee to stop takedowns, but it is in the matter of defense that the Dagestani is so meticulous that he is unlikely to fall for such outdated, albeit dangerous attacks of the opponent.

Given that the fight will take place in hot Abu Dhabi, things will not be so good with Sandhagen's endurance. If in the first segment he has a chance to break through the opponent's head and make his life a little more difficult (4.95) by taking points, then after a series of takedowns, the speed will drop significantly, and by the equator of the fight, Umar has every chance to finally seize the initiative. A repetition of the story with Sterling is hardly worth waiting for, then he was strangled due to a gross mistake, but in the championship segments, and we are talking about 5 rounds, such an outcome cannot be completely discarded.

And this means that taking into account the ground and Nurmagomedov's stance, against the background of the skills of the "Sandman", it remains only to state the fact: for Corey, even taking into account his position in the rating and experience, the situation leads to failure - the victory of Umar. His chance of winning lies in perfect distance control with keeping his vis-à-vis on the jab, at least 3 rounds out of 5, which is more like fantasy. 

Cory Sandhagen vs Umar Nurmagomedov Prediction

Is there a competitive match waiting for us? At the start, definitely yes, and if Corey is on the ground, he will not let himself be offended either, but will defend effectively. This factor must be taken into account, because it opens the way for us to bet on total rounds, and even though it looks risky, but Over (3.5) for 1.72 looks many times better than betting on Umar's victory. Sandhagen has lost ahead of schedule only once in his career, and for Nurmagomedov this is the first fight with a fighter of this level, so the battle promises to be interesting and protracted, and most importantly - not easy for both. Download 1xbet to your phone and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Total Over (3.5) for completed rounds/Umar Nurmagomedov to win