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Umar Nurmagomedov recently expressed his thoughts on a potential fight against Sean O'Malley. Nurmagomedov does not believe that his matchup with the reigning bantamweight champion will be as significant as Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor, as the UFC Hall of Famer and McGregor had one of the most intense rivalries in the UFC and their animosity continues to this day.
Nurmagomedov is set to square off against No. 2-ranked Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi this weekend. The pair were originally scheduled to headline UFC on ESPN 50 last August, but the former was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.
The No. 10 ranked bantamweight already stated that, should he defeat his opponent, he will take on the winner of the upcoming title fight between O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306.
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Even though O'Malley has unquestionably become one of the promotion's top draws, the 28-year-old feels that a possible matchup with 'Sugar' would never be as intense as the epic Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor clash in October 2018.
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In a recent interview with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, Nurmagomedov emphasized that the rivalry between the past lightweight champions was legendary due to their genuine hostility, something that isn't present in his situation.
''It’s never going to be close to Khabib and Conor because they have personal hate. He [McGregor] talked bad about religion, family, everything – father.''
Nurmagomedov also added that O'Malley will not fall to the level of McGregor, who allegedly attacked the UFC legend's family and religion.
''I don’t know. I see Sean’s personality, he’s not too dirty of a person to talk bad about my family or my religion. But if we will fight it’s Irish vs. Dagestani again. It’s going to be interesting, but I think it’s not going to be same.''
Check out Umar Nurmagomedov's comments below:
Umar Nurmagomedov confirms Khabib Nurmagomedov's presence in his corner for the Cory Sandhagen fight
MMA fans worldwide will have another opportunity to see Khabib Nurmagomedov coaching this weekend when his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov takes on Cory Sandhagen in a pivotal title eliminator at UFC Abu Dhabi.
The UFC Hall of Famer previously accompanied the bantamweight contender at UFC 272 in March 2022, when the latter defeated Brian Kelleher via first-round submission. In the aforementioned interview, Nurmagomedov stated:
''It will be Usman (Nurmagomedov), Shamil Zavurov, Javier (Mendez), and Khabib.''
Check out Umar Nurmagomedov's comments below (3:21):
