The upcoming UFC event in Abu Dhabi is quickly taking shape. Following the recent announcement of the middleweight championship main event featuring former champion Robert Whittaker against former ONE two-division champion Reinier de Ridder at the Etihad Arena, the undercard is now being filled out with exciting matchups.
Popular middleweight contender Shara “Bullet” Magomedov is set for his Octagon return in Abu Dhabi, where he will face Marc-Andre Barriault. Magomedov will be looking to bounce back from the first loss of his UFC career, which came against the highly regarded striker Michael “Venom” Page. Barriault, on the other hand, is coming off a spectacular knockout victory over Bruno Silva at the recent UFC 315 event.
In addition to the Magomedov-Barriault showdown, the UFC has also confirmed three more bouts for the July card:
- A clash between ranked light heavyweights Nikita Krylov (30-10) and Bogdan Guskov (17-3).
- A ranked flyweight encounter featuring Asu Almabayev (21-3) and Ramazan Temirov (19-3).
- A light heavyweight contest pitting Ibo Aslan (14-2) against Billy Elekana (7-2).
Currently ranked No. 10 in the light heavyweight division, Nikita Krylov aims to rebound from a first-round knockout defeat against Dominick Reyes at UFC 314 in April. He faces the No. 14 ranked Bogdan Guskov, who is riding a three-fight winning streak since his UFC debut loss to Volkan Oezdemir, with his most recent win being a submission victory over Billy Elekana at UFC 311 in January.
The ranked flyweight bout features two fighters who last competed at UFC Vegas 103 in March, albeit with contrasting results. The No. 8 ranked Asu Almabayev saw his four-fight UFC winning streak halted by Manel Kape in the main event. Conversely, Ramazan Temirov secured a unanimous decision win over Charles Johnson in the evening`s opening fight, earning him the No. 13 spot in the flyweight rankings.
In the second announced light heavyweight bout, Ibo Aslan, a 2023 Contender Series contract winner, impressed with knockout victories in his first two UFC appearances before suffering a submission loss to Ion Cutelaba in February. His opponent, Billy Elekana, a former PFL competitor, is seeking his first UFC win after losing his promotional debut to Bogdan Guskov at UFC 311.
UFC Abu Dhabi is scheduled to take place on July 26th at the Etihad Arena.
