"I had the answer to the problem” - Cory Sandhagen fully confident ahead of Umar Nurmagomedov clash

Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov have officially been rescheduled to face off inside the octagon. According to a recent announcement, the pair will headline UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3.

Having previously been scheduled to clash on Aug. 5, 2023, in the main event of UFC Nashville, Nurmagomedov was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering a shoulder injury.

The surging bantamweight contender returned from his injury in January and faced off against Bekzat Almakhan, whom the Dagestani defeated via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 87.

Ahead of their clash in Abu Dhabi, 'The Sandman' previewed the fight during an interview with Demetrious Johnson. The perennial contender is fully confident he has the "answer" to the "problem" that Nurmagomedov presents, saying this:

"I get a real kick on figuring out how to beat these really good athletes and how to beat these guys, like the Nurmagomedov family has zero losses. I was really excited for the challenge to actually go out and figure out that problem, because he does have a super unique style to him, too. I felt like I had the answer to the problem, and I just had to go show the problem, and then the fight got canceled."

Watch Cory Sandhagen's interview below from 7:20:

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Cory Sandhagen looks to exploit Umar Nurmagomedov's cardio

Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov are set to face off in what is reportedly a title eliminator bout at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3.

'The Sandman' will be entering his second fight camp in preparation for a clash with the Dagestani. But ahead of their rebooked bout, the perennial contender has observed a potential new weakness for him to exploit.

After returning from a shoulder injury suffered in 2023, Nurmagomedov faced Bekzat Almakhan in January and won via decision. But Sandhagen stated that he noticed the No.10-ranked bantamweight was exhausted during his post-fight interview in the octagon.

During the American's recent interview with Demetrious Johnson, he highlighted the potential weakness, saying this:

"I do really want to fight Umar in a five-round fight because, I don't know if you watched his last [fight] but he was [out of breathe]. He was working hard though, I'll give him that. It was well within the realm of reality for him to be that tired... But that fool was really huffing and puffing during the interview." [42:50-43:25 in Cory Sandhagen's previous interview]