“I have no problem with fighting Umar, especially if it’s a contender fight,” the American told CBS Sports. “If they think so highly of him, then yeah, let’s do it.”
“Let’s decide who’s going to fight for the title next so there’s no more question in anybody’s mind whether it should be me or somebody else. If I beat Umar in my next fight, there will be absolutely no argument that I shouldn’t fight for the championship belt next”
The fight between Corey Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov was supposed to headline UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville last August, however, the Russian was injured and withdrew from the bout, while the American fighter defeated his compatriot Rob Font, whom he won by unanimous decision.
Nurmagomedov made a successful return to the octagon this past weekend, defeating organization debutant Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision over three rounds before signaling his desire to make the canceled fight with Sandhagen.
Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov are currently ranked third and tenth in the UFC’s lightweight division rankings, respectively.