“After they beat Umar, they can fight Ian.” Nurmagomedov’s opponent speaks before the fight

32 years old Corey Sandhagen has been practicing MMA since 2015, looks a little gloomy, but willingly and comprehensively answers questions in interviews. For the 61.2 weight category, Corey is very tall (180 cm) and on August 3 in Abu Dhabi an equally big name will appear in front of him in the cage: Sandhagen will have to fight with Khabib’s first cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, who has not lost a single one of his 17 fights. Corey also has 17 wins, but added four losses. Three of them came from people who became UFC champions at different times: Algemain Sterling, TJ Dillashaw and the last one from Petr Yan in the fall of 2021. Now Sandhagen wants to beat the Russian fighter and in the interview he is ready to recall Yan and Fedor Emelianenko. In addition, we say:

“I will enrich those who bet on me”

— A lot of MMA content comes out in Russia, which is rarely translated into English. You know that Khabib’s father has long considered Umar the most technical striker in the team. His famous quote: “Umar kicks like an artist sweeps a brush.” Have you heard it?

– No, I didn’t hear the quote. But I agree, Umar is a really cool drummer, he has a unique style. It’s very interesting to watch and at the same time very difficult to prepare. I had to bring many training partners to my camp in order to be able to prepare with those who could imitate Umar’s movements and attacks. I can say this: I will definitely become his fan, but only after the fight.

— Khabib, Umar and Usman Nurmagomedov have not suffered a single defeat in a total of more than fifty fights. If you manage to beat Umar, will you consider it as if Fabricio Werdum beat Fedor Emelianenko?

– Yeah definitely. You know, everybody looks like the best in the world until they get beaten for the first time. And after that, you start seeing a different side of them. They stop being heavenly. I obviously didn’t take this fight to lose. I’m going to win. No disrespect to Umar, but I’m going to take that zero off him and go home as the top contender for the title. And I believe I can do it. In fact, I will on Saturday. And it’s Umar, his style and his fighting skills that push me to get the best out of myself. And all through the camp, they’ll force you to participate in the fight itself.

– Let’s say there are two options: you can have a kickboxing fight with Umar or a grappling fight. Where do you see your best chances?

– Any option he wants. I’ll let him choose.

— When you talk to the fighters on Khabib’s team, you hear a lot about motivation, dedication, sparring, but you hear little about tactics. What could you say about Umar’s fight IQ and his ability to change in a fight?

– All these guys are very smart. And they operate largely on the same model. They do it very well, because we see all the time which cool fighters come out of their team. Sure, they are plowmen, but we all plow here too, to be honest. When my week of training is over, I’m like a zombie, half dead. When I do a prep camp, I survive every day. I think they do the same thing. I’m sure Umar will be in very good shape.

— Are you surprised that after fights with top opponents, bookmakers think you are a clear outsider in the fight?

– Yes, it even made me a little angry. But you know what? I’m going to make people rich. Those who bet on me. And yes, I’m ready to prove something to those who don’t believe in me.

— Did you call on Russians with a good wrestling or combat sambo school to help you prepare for this fight?

— We have a guy from Mongolia in our camp. He helped me a lot. He has very fast takedowns and a wrestling style very similar to Umar. Next to him, we have a lot of good grapplers. Not from Russia, but, for example, from Taiwan Claxton. It is very difficult to fight him, he is very inflexible. Last week, he fought with a guy from Dagestan and beat him. So I have someone to train with in wrestling. My head coach is Carrington Banks. He is very young. He is very strong physically and still has a great build, so he and I have trained a lot for this fight. Then there is Ryan Hall, one of the best coaches in the world in grappling. The whole world knows what he can do on the ground. So I am very well prepared for this fight. Many sparring partners have come to me, to whom I paid a lot of money. It was a long and expensive camp, but I did everything right.

– We have seen how much you have improved in wrestling over the past few years. Are you planning to surprise Umar with wrestling attacks?

– If there is such an opportunity, I will take it. If he gives me a chance, I will not miss it. You know, Umar will have to tinker with me. The way these guys act, the way they fight, the things they say, everything seems to be designed to make you react. And in fact, it usually works. And of course, in combat, they always have that ace in the form of fights. But he will have to work hard. Believe me, I don’t give anyone an easy life when I step into the cage. And right now, I am very loaded. I can’t wait to go out there and prove that I am written off for nothing. Prove it by giving the best performance of your life.

— You are one of those fighters who runs your own YouTube channel with 85,000 subscribers. What would you choose: a bonus for the fight with Umar of $50,000 or for having 100,000 subscribers?

– Sure, a bonus! For me, the only reason to have my own channel is to promote myself a little and make some money from it.

— Umar’s team also has its own channel. Do you watch videos about his preparation? Did you learn anything interesting?

– Yes, I watched the video. But I didn’t notice anything special for me. They are smart, because when you make such videos, you have to understand how to do it and what exactly to show. So there is nothing special to be found there. Although… maybe I noticed something.

— Did you watch with subtitles?

– Yes. But it was difficult because the cultural differences are very big. The words were translated, but sometimes we still don’t know in what context they are pronounced and with what meaning. But I tried to understand. As far as possible.

“It’s like my body no longer responds to commands from my brain.”

— In Russia, Umar and Petr Yan are constantly compared. Basically, you fight each of them in their peak form. Who do you think is stronger: Petr Yan of 2021 or Umar today?

– Tough choice. From a preparation standpoint, it’s harder with Umar. There are too many subtleties, nuances, too many scenarios. When you fight with Ian, you pretty much understand what to expect and how the fight will go. Umar has these unique kicks and many other features. And of course, his advanced grappling. Preparing for it was a very difficult task and required many additional hours of training. But now I feel good, I feel ready and absolutely fine. I feel like he won’t surprise me with anything from the arsenal he usually throws.

As for comparing him to Ian… I don’t even know which one would win. Very difficult. I understand perfectly that this fight would arouse great interest in Russia. Maybe after beating Umar, they can meet and determine the next competitor in a one-on-one debate.

— For fans, the most memorable episode of your fight with Peter was probably the hit where he shocked you. What moment do you personally remember the most?

– Oh, man, I fought so cool before that episode. I remember it was the first time I was so shocked. It was like my body stopped responding to the commands given by my brain. And my legs seemed to have shut down. In the fourth round, I literally got my ass kicked. Then it seemed to me that I was starting to come to my senses. Probably, in the fifth round, I needed to protect myself a little, work more calmly and not get involved in the wheelhouse. Now I understand that I did not do it in vain. But at that moment, I did what I did… It was the first time I found myself in such a situation, I had never been dropped so seriously before. But until then, I think I fought a great fight. And I would really like to win back this defeat from Ian. And I would really like to see how those last few rounds would have gone if he hadn’t shocked me.

— You have a lot of discussions about MMA theory, about the game plan and the details of the fight, but do you think it is a sport where a fighter can appear with such great natural abilities that he will beat people without all that knowledge?

– It is possible. Everything in life comes with experience, including the wisdom and knowledge you need.

— You switched from kickboxing to MMA, and now the best Russian kickboxer Artem Vakhitov wants to do the same at the age of 33. What advice would you give him and do you think it is possible in principle?

– Yes. I think he can do good. I have a close friend, his name is Tang Li. He was the ONE featherweight champion and helps me prepare for many fights. So he only switched to MMA when he was 30 years old. And yet he became a champion. And now he is 39 years old. So I think if you are willing to work and invest time and effort to catch up quickly, then anything is possible. It is absolutely possible to succeed.

– What would you advise him?

“You have to put a lot of time into fighting.” If you’re a basic boxer or kickboxer, there’s no way out – you have to put a lot of time into it. Because that’s the basis of MMA. You have to be able to fight.

— There are about 30 Russian fighters in the UFC. Could you name one or two that interest you the most specifically in terms of technical arsenal, style, etc.?

— I am thinking now about Petr Yan, Umar and Shara Bullet. These are the guys who attract my attention with their fights.

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