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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
The UFC has booked a bantamweight main event between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov to headline a UFC Fight Night on Aug. 5 in Nashville, the promotion announced on Thursday.
The five-round 135-pound contest will take place inside Bridgestone Arena.
Sandhagen (16-4) will put his No. 4 UFC rankings on the line, while Nurmagomedov (16-0) will seek to keep his perfect record intact. It’s a risky fight for Sandhagen, who is closing in on a title shot with wins against Frankie Edgar and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in his last two appearances.
Fighting out of Aurora, Colorado, Sandhagen challenged Petr Yan on short notice for the vacant bantamweight title in 2021. He does have one loss to the current champ, Aljamain Sterling, via submission in 2020.
Nurmagomedov, the younger cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, is widely viewed as a potential champion/contender for years to come. The 27-year-old is 4-0 in the UFC with three finishes, although this will be a significant step up in competition.
At the top of the bantamweight division, Sterling is scheduled to defend his title against Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 on Aug. 19.