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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
UFC Abu Dhabi was a display for rising stars and a former champion, all ready for bigger and better things in their respective divisions.
In the main event, Umar Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision to effectively claim the No. 1 contender spot for the bantamweight title. Nurmagomedov pushed his undefeated record to 18-0, including a 7-0 mark in the UFC.
Other winners on the card included Shara Magomedov, whose ascent as a prospect continues, and Deiveson Figueiredo, the former flyweight champion who also has his sights set on the bantamweight crown.
So, what should we make of Saturday’s card results? Let’s fantasy matchmake what should be next for the big names of UFC Abu Dhabi, including Sandhagen, who still has plenty of time to get back into the title mix.
Umar Nurmagomedov, bantamweight
Who should be next: Winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306
The main event of UFC Abu Dhabi was a No. 1 contender fight, and Nurmagomedov looked title-ready in his win over Sandhagen. For a while now, it has felt like only a matter of time until Nurmagomedov gets his title opportunity. While a finish is always nice, I’m glad we saw him for five rounds against an elite opponent like Sandhagen. Nurmagomedov had never gone five rounds in the UFC until Saturday, and now there’s zero doubt he’s capable of doing so. I was with O’Malley on Saturday immediately after the fight, and the champion likes that fight a lot, if he can get by Dvalishvili first. But regardless of what happens in September, Nurmagomedov is next.
Wild card: Wait
If something weird happens at the Sphere (a draw, injury or other issue), I still don’t see Nurmagomedov fighting anyone else. There is just no other option that makes sense at the moment. If there is a serious delay to O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili, then of course circumstances could change. But for now, I don’t see anything stopping Nurmagomedov from fighting for the belt next. And if he ends up having to wait it out because of unforeseen delays, I think he would.
Cory Sandhagen, bantamweight
Who should be next: Henry Cejudo
Tough loss for Sandhagen, but here’s the silver lining: At 32 years old, he’s still young. And he still has a desirable stylistic matchup against the current champion and biggest star of the division, O’Malley. I have a hard time believing we won’t ever see Sandhagen vs. O’Malley, so Sandhagen should be confident he has big fights still ahead. Cejudo is still on the UFC’s active roster, but there’s been little talk about his next fight. Cejudo is 37 years old and doesn’t have a ton of time left. Even though Sandhagen is coming off a loss, he’s still highly ranked, and a win over Sandhagen could get Cejudo to a title shot if the cards were to fall right. That should interest him.
Wild card: Deiveson Figueiredo
The only reason not to do this fight is that Sandhagen is coming off a loss and Figueiredo is coming off a win. I couldn’t care less about that. Fans would be excited about this stylistically, and it makes perfect sense for the division. The UFC tends to book fights where both athletes are coming off a win or a loss, but if it wanted to make an exception, it would be well received.
Shara Magomedov, middleweight
Who should be next: Kelvin Gastelum
After defeating Michal Oleksiejczuk in the co-main event, Magomedov issued an awful callout. Nick Diaz? If you want to look like a scary up-and-comer, you don’t call out a semi-retired 41-year-old legend. A Gastelum fight makes more sense. Gastelum is coming off the weight miss at welterweight, and I don’t see how the UFC can book him at 170 pounds again. Magomedov wants someone with name recognition, and Gastelum has that. It’s a fun matchup. Gastelum isn’t ranked, but his name brings value to Magomedov’s resume. It makes a ton of sense.
Wild card: Jack Hermansson
Hermansson is ranked No. 9 in the UFC’s divisional rankings, and while I don’t want to disrespect the man by asking him to fight down, the simple fact is that Hermansson needs wins to excite anyone about a future title shot. He’s had some big fights to get him over that hump and he’s come up short, so now this is the position he finds himself in. Promoting Magomedov up to No. 9 is a stretch; I don’t think he’s earned it yet, but no one could argue it if he were to win.
Deiveson Figueiredo, bantamweight
Who should be next: Loser of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Again, we’re in that zone that the UFC doesn’t like, matching a winner up against a loser, but when you get near the top of the division, it’s kind of inevitable. Figueiredo is a former champ at a different weight class and has now looked great in three straight wins against established bantamweights. There’s not much left for him to prove, other than against the top echelon. The timing of this would probably work out for the division. See what happens in the title fight, book Nurmagomedov against the winner and have Figueiredo try to earn his title shot against the loser.
Wild card: Sandhagen
Mackenzie Dern, strawweight
Who should be next: Yan Xiaonan
There are six contenders ranked ahead of Dern at 115 pounds. She’s already fought five of them, and the one she hasn’t is Tatiana Suarez, who has been held back due to injury. The cream has risen to the top of this division, and these women are going to have to fight multiple times. There’s nothing else to do. Dern and Yan fought in 2022 and it was very close, Yan won by majority decision. The fact it was that close is a reason to do this matchup again. And Dern, even though she’s 3-4 in her last seven fights, is right there for title contention. She’s been competitive with the best and she’s still getting better. She’d be a big underdog to Zhang Weili if she ever got to the top, but she’d have a path to victory. And she’s only 31 years old.
Wild card: Jessica Andrade
Andrade is heading back to flyweight in September to take on a dangerous up-and-comer in Natalia Silva. Depending on how Andrade does and what the landscape looks like in each division, a fight against Dern might be her best move. It’s always hard to predict Andrade, because she seamlessly moves between the two weight classes and has fought many of the top contenders. But if Dern is looking for a path to the title, she needs to avenge some of her losses, and she lost to Andrade via knockout in 2023. I don’t see this one happening so soon again, but it’s an option.