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ESPN Staff Writer- MMA columnist for ESPN.com
- Analyst for "MMA Live"
- Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun
All eyes will be on the main event in Abu Dhabi this Saturday as bantamweight standouts Umar Nurmagomedov and Cory Sandhagen will square off in a de facto title eliminator bout (3 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+, with prelims at noon on ESPN2/ESPN+). Both fighters stated that the UFC assured them the winner would face whoever emerged as the bantamweight champion in the UFC 306 showdown between belt holder Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
Nurmagomedov (17-0), unranked by ESPN, could climb into the top 10 with a win over No. 3-ranked Sandhagen. Nurmagomedov has finished three of his past five opponents. Sandhagen (17-4) is on a three-fight winning streak, with his last win coming by way of unanimous decision over Rob Font last August.
There will also be MMA action Friday night as the PFL postseason begins (9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with prelims at 7 p.m. on ESPN+) with heavyweights and women's flyweights in action. The card at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, will be headlined by Denis Goltsov (34-8) facing Tim Johnson (18-9).
Brett Okamoto spoke to Red Hawk Academy MMA coach Tim Welch to get his perspective on the UFC main event. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds his insights and analysis on both main events and other intriguing bets he likes on this weekend's cards.