UFC Announces Return to Abu Dhabi for UFC Fight Night Event
The UFC will return to Abu Dhabi, UAE for the second time in less than a year for a UFC Fight Night card on August 3.
The world's leading MMA promotion last went to Abu Dhabi in October for UFC 294, which saw lightweight king Islam Makhachev knock out Alexander Volkanovski in the first round.
Makhachev also headlined a card in Abu Dhabi a year earlier when he took the lightweight belt from Oliveira at UFC 280, and now the UFC has officially scheduled a UFC Fight Night event for the Etihad Arena.
Abu Dhabi has become a frequent international destination for the UFC in recent years, and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yas Island famously hosted several UFC cards when the promotion was largely confined to using the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.
The card on August 3 likely won’t feature Makhachev again given that it’s only a Fight Night event, but top contenders like Khamzat Chimaev, Magomed Ankalaev, and Muhammad Mokaev could be possible headlining options, although Mokaev recently proposed a matchup with Brandon Royval in Manchester, England following his latest win.
Both Chimaev and Ankalev could also be in line for title shots at middleweight and light heavyweight, but fans can expect that the UFC will try to put together a high-profile main event and avoid a potential repeat of the awkward situation that resulted in last weekend’s Fight Night card being moved from Saudi Arabia to the Apex facility in Vegas.
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