As soon as once more, the Etihad Enviornment returns for one more UFC occasion stuffed with organised violence.
Whereas the identical metropolis will nonetheless put together for a PPV in October, UAE followers can stay up for an thrilling battle night time.
Robert Whittaker headlines the cardboard alongside Reinier de Ridder in a high-stakes Middleweight matchup.
However, with the principle occasion being the entire focus, listed here are 5 different bouts it’s best to take note of earlier than the motion commences.
Petr Yan vs Marcus McGhee
Initially, Movsar Evloev vs Aaron Pico was set because the co-main occasion, however because of the cancellation of the battle, this Bantamweight battle has been promoted.
Yan final fought at UFC Macau, defeating Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous determination, marking the start of his win streak.
The previous UFC Bantamweight Champion suffered a extreme downfall after shedding 4 out of 5 bouts at one stage, however the Russian’s redemption arc is asking for title competition.
With noticeable wins over Cory Sandhagen, Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber, there is no such thing as a doubt that ‘No Mercy’ will likely be inflicting issues in Abu Dhabi.
McGhee is at present on a six-fight profitable streak whereas solely having 4 appearances within the UFC.
‘The Maniac has stopped 9 of his 10 conquered opponents, with eight ending by KO/TKO, as he hopes to turn out to be the primary man to complete Yan.
The #13 contender put himself in prime place after defeating Jonathan Martinez by unanimous determination at UFC 309.
With an ideal probability to spice up up the 135-pound rankings, the Detroit-born fighter will likely be desirous to succeed on his quest to UFC gold.
Sharaputdin Magomedov vs Marc-Andre Barriault
An intriguing Middleweight battle that sees an attention grabbing prospect attempt to redeem himself towards a Canadian fan favorite.
Magomedov misplaced his excellent MMA file after a unanimous determination defeat to Michael ‘Venom’ Web page at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Shara ‘Bullet’ is extraordinarily well-known for his unimaginable kickboxing, which is why he has earned 12 knockouts in 15 wins.
The Makhachkala-born fighter turned a ranked 185-pound competitor when he earned a terrific double spinning backfist KO towards Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308.
Whereas the Russian is in an unfamiliar place, he hopes to bounce again with one other showstopping victory.
Barriault was on the verge of presumably being lower from the organisation, till he knocked out Bruno Silva at UFC 315.
‘Powerbar’ not often goes the space in his bouts, profitable 11 of his 17 profitable fights by KO/TKO.
The Quebec resident got here near the Middleweight rankings however misplaced by cut up determination to #14 contender Chris Curtis at UFC 297.
After simply snapping his three-fight shedding streak, the Canadian will likely be a heavy underdog heading into this battle, a cause why a win will really feel a lot sweeter on the Etihad Enviornment.
Nikita Krylov vs Bogdan Guskov
A Gentle Heavyweight bout which is able to very doubtless not go the space, whether or not it’s by knockout or submission.
After two years away from the Octagon, Krylov returned to lose his three-fight win streak with a first-round knockout defeat to Dominick Reyes at UFC 314.
‘The Miner’ turned a promising contender after incomes victories over Alexander Gustafsson, Volkan Oezdemir and Ryan Spann.
The Ukraine-born blended martial artist has secured 12 KO/TKO victories and 16 submissions out of 30 MMA triumphs.
The #10 contender will hope to return to the win column and keep his place within the 205-pound rankings.
Guskov prolonged his win streak to a few after submitting Billy Elekana within the second spherical at UFC 311.
Regardless of his defeat in his UFC debut, the Uzbekistan fighter has proven potential expertise within the Gentle Heavyweight division.
‘Czarevitch’ holds a 100% end fee in his profession with 14 knockouts and three submissions.
The #13 contender has a wonderful alternative to make his method into the highest 10, hoping to proceed his dominance.
Bryce Mitchell vs Mentioned Nurmagomedov
A battle for redemption on the Etihad Enviornment because the end result appears to be like fairly unpredictable.
Catastrophe struck in Mitchell’s final battle after a dominant second-round submission loss to Jean Silva at UFC 314.
Regardless of remaining as a contender within the Featherweight division, ‘Thug Nasty’ has challenged himself to a decrease weight class.
Though the Arkansas fighter has loads of determination wins within the UFC, 9 of his 17 victories in MMA have ended by submission.
If Mitchell is victorious at UFC Abu Dhabi, he might turn out to be a ranked fighter at 135 kilos.
Nurmagomedov got here near the Bantamweight rankings, however misplaced his probability after a call defeat to Vinicius Oliveira at UFC Saudi Arabia.
The Russian has but to have an enormous title in his resume, regardless of seven wins within the UFC.
The Dagestan blended martial artist is but to be stopped, holding six KO/TKO wins and 4 submissions.
Whereas not associated to Khabib or Umar, Nurmagomedov continues to be aiming to make a much bigger title for himself and will obtain it on Saturday.
Muslim Salikhov vs Carlos Leal
An unknown Welterweight struggle which deserves a lot extra consideration between two skilled fighters.
Salikhov earned one of the crucial spectacular knockouts of 2024, stopping Track Kenan with a wheel kick at UFC Macau.
Because the starting of his UFC profession in November 2017, the Russian has contested towards veterans of the organisation.
The ‘King of Kung Fu’ has earned 14 KO/TKO victories from 21 profession wins as he’s nothing however spectacular on the ft.
One other win on his UFC file might e book him an opportunity on the Welterweight rankings, boosting his win streak to a few.
Leal claimed his first UFC win in his final bout, making simple work of Alex Morono at UFC 313.
‘The Lion’ made his presence identified in PFL, particularly after incomes knockouts towards David Zawada and Dilano Taylor.
Half of the Brazilian’s triumphs have ended by KO/TKO as he likes to maintain his fights standing up.
After already taking out a veteran, Leal needs to do it once more in his mission to enter the Welterweight rankings.
