"Finally a ranked opponent" - Fans react to Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov getting announced for Abu Dhabi in August

Fans recently expressed their thoughts on the Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov fight announcement. The two are scheduled to face each other in a bantamweight bout at the UFC Fight Night card in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3.

Sandhagen was set to face Nurmagomedov in a five-round bout at UFC Nashville card on Aug. 5, 2023, but the latter had to withdraw himself from the matchup due to a shoulder injury. They are now going to square off in a five-round scrap when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi this August.

The promotion recently took to X and announced their fight.

Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan wrote:

''Finally a ranked opponent so we can see where his level is actually at''

Another fan wrote:

''This man has never beaten a ranked opponent and he’s getting #2''

Giving their thoughts on the fight, some fans wrote:

''Imagine Sean O'Malley surviving Merab and having to contend with Umar next.''

''We found out how good Cory's grappling tutorials are''

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshot of UFC's post on X

'The Sandman' faced Rob Font in his last fight. He won via unanimous decision, increasing his winning streak to three. However, Sandhagen tore his tricep in the opening round of the fight and hasn't fought since.

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov made his octagon comeback after a break of over a year when he faced promotional newcomer Bekzat Almakhan at UFC Fight Night 238, winning the bout via unanimous decision.

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Cory Sandhagen lays out plan to get to the bantamweight title

Merab Dvalishvili is next in line to challenge Sean O'Malley for the bantamweight title, but he isn't the only contender vying for UFC gold.

During a recent appearance on The Schmozone, Cory Sandhagen outlined his strategy for obtaining a title shot while expressing his wish that O'Malley remain the division's leader.

He said:

"That's my man and I'm going to go out and I'm going to fight my a** off against Umar, build up some hype going into this fight. Hopefully O'Malley wins because I know that people want to see me and O'Malley fight. They've been asking to see that fight for a really long time. I'm going to do my d**nedest to go out there and beat Umar real well and build up as much hype for this title fight, hopefully against O'Malley sometime early next year."

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments below: