‘Tough sport’: Cory Sandhagen issues statement in wake of UFC Abu Dhabi defeat

It is back to the drawing board for Cory Sandhagen.

The American, 32, a fighter generally regarded as being among the elite class of bantamweights across the globe, came up short on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi in a bout with the still-unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov after five, razor-thin rounds of action in a fight that likely enshrines the Russian at the top contender in the division once champion Sean O’Malley and top contender Merab Dvalishvili settle their business in Las Vegas next month.

For Sandhagen, it is another loss at what seems like the final hurdle. Three of his four UFC losses have come in bouts to establish a top contender or interim champion — and while he has consistently shown an ability to rise through the ranks towards the summit of the 135-pound rankings, the result of Saturday’s fight is unquestionably a move in the wrong direction.

But in his first comments post-fight, Sandhagen made clear that working his way back to towards title contention is his only option.

“Tough sport,” he wrote on social media soon after the fight. “Umar is really world class — it was an honor to fight one of the world’s best. Congrats to him.”

He added: “Gonna keep getting better, like I always do. Thanks for the support. I love you guys.”

The defeat to Nurmagomedov snaps Sandhagen’s three-fighting winning streak, and is his first loss since a decision defeat to Petr Yan in a bout to contest the interim UFC bantamweight title in October of 2021.