Cory Sandhagen issues statement following UFC Abu Dhabi loss to Umar Nurmagomedov: “Tough sport”

Cory Sandhagen has spoken out after suffering his first loss since 2021 at the hands of Umar Nurmagomedov.

Sandhagen’s UFC Abu Dhabi clash against Umar had high stakes. The winner would likely solidify a chance to fight for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

In the end, it was Umar who pulled through with a unanimous decision victory. While Sandhagen was dejected following the loss, he remained a class act.

RELATED: UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV CRITIQUES HIS PERFORMANCE AGAINST CORY SANDHAGEN AT UFC ABU DHABI: “I’M NOT HAPPY”

Cory Sandhagen Shows Respect to Umar Nurmagomedov

It didn’t take Cory Sandhagen long to hop on Instagram to release a statement on the defeat to Umar Nurmagomedov. Sandhagen was as humble as one can be.

Cory Sandhagen posted a statement following his #UFCAbuDhabi loss:

“Tough sport. Umar is really world class – it was an honor to fight one of the world's best. Congrats to him.

Gonna keep getting better, like I always do. Thanks for the support. I love you guys.

PEACE”… pic.twitter.com/TGTWhKNwM1

— FightCrack (@FightCrack) August 4, 2024

“Tough sport,” Sandhagen wrote. “Umar is really world class – it was an honor to fight one of the world’s best. Congrats to him.
.
Gonna keep getting better, like I always do. Thanks for the support. I love you guys.
.
PEACE.”

The tone of Sandhagen’s statement should come as no surprise. After all, Sandhagen showered Umar with praise during his post-fight interview (h/t MMAJunkie.com).

“He’s real good,” Sandhagen told Daniel Cormier during his in-cage interview. “He beat me. There’s nothing more I can say about it. Congrats to him, man. He’s a very, very good fighter. I’ll see him again. He’s going to fight for the belt next, and he’ll probably win.”

What’s next for Sandhagen remains to be seen. As for Umar, it was revealed by UFC CEO Dana White during a chat with Kevin Iole that the Dagestan technician is due to face the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Umar has even revealed that he will likely attend UFC 306 for the main event title fight between O’Malley and Merab, which will be held inside the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14th.