Umar Nurmagomedov was surprised by multiple aspects of his opponent’s game in a unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ABC 7.
Nurmagomedov put on an MMA masterclass en route to an impressive unanimous decision win over Sandhagen in the main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The Dagestani star subsequently admitted being surprised by both the stand up and grappling aspects of Sandhagen’s game. According to Nurmagomedov, while Sandhagen’s grappling defense was better than he expected, “The Sandman” surprisingly didn’t impress him with his striking.
“He was more tough than I expect,” Nurmagomedov told ESPN. “And his defense much better than I [anticipated]. When I take his back, he almost defense, he go out. I was surprised. It was very hard to hold him, take him down. He is very good. But my strike is much better than him. That I accept. I think he will be much better than me, but I’m not bad. I was not bad today.”
After seemingly getting outstruck by Sandhagen in the opening frame, Nurmagomedov made the necessary adjustments to completely turn the fight around from the second round onward. The bantamweight contender revealed that it was his corner, consisting of the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Javier Mendez, who gave him the confidence to strike with Sandhagen.
“When I understand I can beat him in striking, I changed little bit my plan,” he said. “And I’m beginning to find moments to take him down, like correct moment when I can do these safe takedowns… My corner tell me when I come after one round. They said, ‘Man you have to believe [in] your striking. You much faster than him, you much better than him, you have to work.’”
