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For the first time this year, the UFC heads to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The UFC Abu Dhabi card is stacked and filled with top prospects, undefeated contenders, and iconic veterans alike. This event will mark UFC's 19th visit to Abu Dhabi and the first since UFC 294 in October 2023. While we wait for Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili to duke it out, UFC Abu Dhabi is headlined by a No. 1 contender clash between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov. While in the co-main event, Shara Magomedov faces Michal Oleksiejczuk in a late replacement middleweight matchup. Other MMA stars competing on the main card include Marlon Vera, Deiveson Figueiredo, Mackenzie Dern, Tony Ferguson, Shara Magomedov, and Michael Chiesa.
In my opinion, there are a lot of intriguing fights on the card, like the main-event bout with Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov and the main-card bout between Vera and Figueiredo. No belts on the line this weekend, though, but at least we'll find out the next title challenger, plus we get to enjoy some world-class fighters going against each other.
In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC Abu Dhabi: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov on 8/3/24. Give me a follow on X @sumpor5. Good luck!
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DraftKings MMA Bantamweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Cory Sandhagen, $7,000 - vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
A very intriguing bantamweight matchup is set to take place this weekend as Cory Sandhagen gets ready to take on undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. The UFC managed to rebook this fight after the pair was scheduled to meet in Nashville last year. Nurmagomedov withdrew a few weeks before and was replaced by bantamweight contender Rob Font. Sandhagen dominated Font to earn himself a lopsided unanimous decision. The winner will more than likely challenge for the bantamweight title after Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili lock horns at Noche UFC.
The Sandman will headline his 6th event this weekend #InAbuDhabi 🤩
Watch the best of @CorySandhagenX before he hits the stage this weekend!
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— UFC (@ufc) August 1, 2024
After three consecutive wins against top 10 opponents, third-ranked Sandhagen fights down the ladder against 10th-ranked Nurmagomedov. Make no mistake, though, Nurmagomedov is a scary individual. He is yet to taste defeat in the UFC with five wins to his name. His UFC victories have come against Sergey Morozov, Brian Kelleher, Nate Maness, Raoni Barcelos, and Bekzat Almakhan. His background is composed of freestyle wrestling, Thai boxing, and combat sambo where he became a world champion when he was 19 years old. This is a huge step up in competition for Nurmagomedov.
On the other hand, Sandhagen has fought the best of the best and has fought for the interim title in the UFC against a former UFC bantamweight champion, Petr Yan. The fight was extremely close with Yan managing to edge out a unanimous decision victory. Since that fight, Sandhagen has looked impressive, winning three bouts in a row. Early in his last fight, Sandhagen tore his triceps and was forced to grind out a win. That injury has kept Sandhagen out of action for nearly a year, and a win against Nurmagomedov might be the only thing standing between him and potential championship glory.
Sandhagen has good footwork, is hard to take down, and is much better on his feet than Nurmagomedov. He's a creative striker who uses his long reach effectively to outstrike opponents. At the beginning of his UFC career, Sandhagen had some problems with wrestling. Throughout his last few fights, it's evident that Sandhagen improved his ground game drastically, having used his wrestling a lot in his wins over Vera and Font. Sandhagen lands 5.33 significant strikes per minute with a 44% accuracy. Nurmagomedov lands 4.75 significant strikes with a 69% accuracy.
Sandhagen’s takedown defense is good at 64%. If Sandhagen can defend enough takedowns, he should accumulate enough damage on the feet to win this fight. He's most likely going to have an advantage when it comes to cardio as we've seen Nurmagomedov gas out in a three-round fight, and now he has to go five rounds.
Sandhagen needs to keep this fight standing if he wishes to win this. His footwork and striking should be the difference in this fight. He's also considered to be a finisher, and if he gets an opponent hurt, he's usually going to find a way to knock them out or submit them. That being said, I don't think that he'll be able to finish Nurmagomedov. My prediction is that Sandhagen is going to win via unanimous decision.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Shara Magomedov, $9,000 - vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Middleweight finishers Shara Magomedov and Michal Oleksiejczuk are set to square off in the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. Originally, Nick Diaz and Vicente Luque were scheduled for the co-main spot, but that fell apart due to travel issues regarding Diaz. This fight was made on short notice, as both fought in June. Magomedov will look for his third UFC win while Oleksiejczuk will look to get back in the win column after being finished in back-to-back fights.
Magomedov has gone 2-0 through his first two UFC appearances. Just a month ago, at UFC Saudi Arabia, he defeated Antonio Trocoli via TKO in a short-notice, main-card bout. Known as a finisher and a striker, Magomedov is on a 13-fight win streak. Out of those 13 wins, Magomedov has finished 11 fights via knockout/TKO. He’s about as exciting as prospects come and he fights with a wild striking style that is unique and unpredictable. His ground game remains a question mark but I doubt Oleksiejczuk will even attempt a takedown in this fight.
Oleksiejczuk signed with the UFC in 2017 and has gone 7-6 with one NC. He moved down from light heavyweight to middleweight in 2022 but has had mixed results. He is 3-3 in his last six fights, with his three wins being against Chidi Njokuani, Cody Brundage, and Sam Alvey. The three setbacks came against Kevin Holland, Michel Pereira, and Caio Borralho. He’s a dangerous striker in his own right and has won the majority of his fights by knockout, usually occurring in the first round.
Oleksiejczuk is more than willing to stand and trade and that is exactly why he'll lose against Magomedov. The interesting thing is that while Oleksiejczuk has gotten hurt and rocked in most of his losses, he has still never actually been knocked out in the UFC. That being said, I think that Magomedov won't finish Oleksiejczuk but is going to pick him apart on the feet. My prediction is that the favorite, Magomedov, wins this fight via unanimous decision. Oleksiejczuk is a good striker, but I think Magomedov’s creativity will be too much for the Polish fighter.
DraftKings MMA Women's Strawweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Mackenzie Dern, $8,200 - vs. Loopy Godinez
The second fight on the main card of UFC Abu Dhabi will see multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion Mackenzie Dern take on Loopy Godinez. Both Dern and Godinez are looking to get back in the win column. Dern has lost back-to-back fights to Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos while Godinez has gone 1-1 in her last two fights, beating Tabatha Ricci by a split decision and most recently losing to Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision.
Dern hasn't been in the best form lately. Back in November at UFC 295, Dern was finished by Andrade via second-round TKO. In her last bout, she was dominated over 15 minutes by Lemos. Against Andrade, she was easily hit and didn’t show any threat on the ground. She looked a little bit better against Lemos, but she was still making the same mistakes. Lemos easily out-pointed Dern on the feet and even managed to score a knockdown.
Godinez comes into this fight with an MMA record of 12-4 and is 7-4 in the UFC. She saw her four-fight winning streak snapped in her last bout, a close decision loss to Jandiroba that could've gone her way. Godinez is a strong wrestler with solid boxing, although, at times, she can be frustrating to watch as she was against Angela Hill where she was trading blows with Hill instead of using her wrestling skill set to the fullest. She has a striking accuracy of 48% and a takedown defense of 84%. Godinez has never been submitted in her career and it’ll be interesting how she fares against Dern, who is known for her ground game.
It would be in Godinez's best interest to keep this fight on the ground as Dern is extremely dangerous on the ground and will most likely have a grappling advantage. Interestingly enough, it seems like Godinez has problems with pure strikers or pure grapplers. Even though Godinez's takedown defense is 84%, I think Dern is going to find a way to take Godinez down. I don't think that she'll be able to finish her within 15 minutes. I predict Dern will beat Godinez via unanimous decision.
