‘I don’t care about rankings,’ says Sandhagen as he eyes title shot with win in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: When Cory Sandhagen steps into the Octagon at Etihad Arena for UFC Night on Aug. 3, it will be with an increasing sense of familiarity.

The 32-year-old American is set to face Umar Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight bout next week, marking the third time he has been to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

With one win and one loss in Abu Dhabi, Sandhagen has been preparing for all eventualities against the rising star from Dagestan in the UAE capital.

“I’m just preparing my best for everything that’s going to come in the fight,” Sandhagen told Arab News.

“Just learning and understanding all of the ways that he fights, the ways that he grapples, the way that he strikes,” he added. “Making sure that I’m not going to be caught off guard by anything because I do know with guys that have very unique styles like that, it’s really easy for people to go in and think that it’s going to be one thing and have it definitely not be that thing.”

Sandhagen (17-4-0) is on a three-fight winning streak, and another victory in Abu Dhabi should give him a shot at the title belt.

“I definitely think so. I don’t think that there’s anyone else really in the division that is beating (these opponents),” said Sandhagen. “(Yadong) Song is a top 10 guy, Chito (Marlon Vera) is a top 10 guy, and (Rob) Font, when I fought him, was a top 10 guy.

“A lot of those wins were really impressive,” he added. “A stop against Song, winning every round against Chito, and then winning every round against Font — I think that I definitely am having the most impressive performances against some of the best guys. I think that a fight against a big up-and-comer who’s known as one of the better prospects in the division, a win against him, I think will definitely solidify that (title shot) for me.”

Sandhagen dismisses any suggestion that, as the second-ranked bantamweight fighter, he has more to lose in Abu Dhabi than his 10th-ranked opponent, who has a record of 17-0-0.

“I don’t care about the rankings. If people are better than me, I want them to have the belt over me,” he said. “If Umar is better than me (and beats me), I want him to go on because that means that he earned it and deserves it more than I do. I don’t care about the rankings. I don’t care about having things to lose.

“I want the best guy to be the champion, and if I think that I’m the best guy, I’ll have to go out and prove that regardless of who (my opponent) is, regardless of ranking, regardless of how many fights they’ve had in UFC,” the Colorado native said. “If Umar is better than me, I want him to beat me, that means that he earned it. If I beat Umar, it means that I’m better than him and I earned the title shot. That’s the way that I approach talking fights. We’ll see if he’s better than me.”

Sandghagen has already performed in Abu Dhabi twice, first beating Marlon Moraes at Flash Forum in October 2021 before losing to Petr Yan a year later at Etihad Arena. He looks back fondly on both experiences.

“It was great, I honestly love that part of the world,” he said. “My first time there was when I went out and fought Marlon. I love that part of the world, I thought that the hospitality was insane, very kind. The hotels were really awesome.”

He also had special praise for the local fans.

“I really don’t recall hearing a ton of boos out there. I think that demographic of fans is very different than the American one, in that they’re not really big booers. They still root for their guy, but I do think that part of the world just has a deeper, richer history in martial arts. And I think what they care most about is watching good fights and watching high-level performers.

“The Middle East has some of the best fighters in the world. A lot of those areas around the Middle East have some of the best fighters in the world, and a deep, rich culture in martial arts. I love the fans in Abu Dhabi. I think they are very kind and fair.”

Abu Dhabi has for several years been a UFC hub, and on June 22, Saudi Arabia held its first-ever UFC Fight Night at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Sandhagen believes that hosting events in this region has boosted UFC and its roster of fighters.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “The more globalized that UFC gets, the more opportunities that we have. More than anything, man, I think that it’s really cool that fighting is bringing all parts of the world together.

“Right now, the Dagestani guys are really hot, and people here (are) really liking it, really enjoying it,” he added. “It put Dagestan on the map. I didn’t know where it was before, and I think (that) is a very cool aspect of what the UFC is doing. It’s making us all a little bit closer.”

Sandhagen hopes that the spread of UFC in the region will in the coming years also produce more local fighters, something he is happy to play a role in.

“One of my favorite things about going to UFC fights is that I typically leave very inspired,” he said. “Inspired to be better at fighting, but I also just feel very inspired by the people, some of the fighters and the way that they can go out and perform. I think that if you can just add a touch of inspiration to someone’s life, it can make a giant difference.”