Umar Nurmagomedov outshines Marlon Vera, Sean O'Malley, etc., predicts next rival

As UFC bantamweight rising star Umar Nurmagomedov keeps making his way to the top, fellow fighters shower him with encouraging comments.

In an interview with ESPN MMA, Nurmagomedov's UFC Fight Night opponent on August 5, Cory Sandhagen, not only praised the Russian but also asserted that he would beat his former opponent Marlon Vera:

"I think he is really good. When I watch him, I think personally that he's a very very good fighter, he's a very tricky guy to figure out and people haven't been able to figure him out really at all. They are going with the approaches that are just like really silly and yeah I think he's really good you know. If I am being really honest, I think that like he'd beat Chito. I think that he would beat a lot of the other guys at the top too."

Watch the interview below (10:43):

Cory Sandhagen is putting his No.4 ranking on the line, while Umar Nurmagomedov will be doing his best to extend his record to a perfect 17-0. Sandhagen might be taking an unnecessary risk as he is closing in on a title fight by registering victories over Song Yadong and Marlon Vera in his past two appearances.

Umar Nurmagomedov has also created a lot of hype as a potential challenger for the gold, boasting a perfect record of 4-0 in the UFC and an overall MMA record of 16-0. Currently ranked No.11 in the UFC bantamweight division, Nurmagomedov has a chance to cement his place as a top contender for the title with a win over Sandhagen.

Upcoming bantamweight title challenger Sean O'Malley had earlier commented on the Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov bout and rated the American's management as poor for agreeing to fight the dangerous Russian. 'Sugar' opined that Merab Dvalishvili would have been a better option for 'Sandman':

"Why Umar, he's not ranked is he? 15 maybe? Why not Merab... Merab is a way bigger name, Merab has ranked number 1."

Check out the video here:

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Umar Nurmagomedov trains with Cain Velasquez

Umar Nurmagomedov was recently seen training with former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) gym ahead of his bout with Cory Sandhagen.

Watch the video below:

The gym is famed for having trained some of the greatest fighters in the MMA world, including UFC champions such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, and Luke Rockhold.

The 27-year-old Dagestani fighter sits on the cusp of establishing his own legacy if he's able to maintain his focus and form against his rivals in future bouts.