“When they brought up the issue of re-scheduling the fight, I said I would do it if the fight was a contender fight,” MMAJunkie quoted the American as saying. “If Umar gets a good win on March 2, and puts on a terrific performance, let them schedule a fight for us at International Fight Week in Las Vegas.”
“I’m still open to fighting Umar, it’s just that I was one fight ahead of him when ours went off the rails and now he has a chance to catch up. If it works out for him, I’m definitely willing to do it.”
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, who won by unanimous decision over five rounds.
Undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov has four wins under the UFC banner, knocking out Brazilian Raoni Barcelos in the first round in his last fight. The Russian will return to the octagon on March 2 at UFC Fight Night 238 in Las Vegas, and his opponent will be Kazakhstan’s Bekzat Almakhan, the organization’s debutant.
Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov are currently ranked third and thirteenth in the UFC’s lightweight division rankings, respectively.