UFC Heads Back to Abu Dhabi with Whittaker vs. de Ridder Headlining, Magomedov and More Added to Stacked Card
The UFC is making its return to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 26, and the fight card is quickly shaping up to be a big one.
At the top of the bill, former UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker will face former ONE Championship double-titleholder Reinier de Ridder in a high-stakes main event matchup. The bout was officially announced over the weekend, and now the UFC has begun to roll out more of the lineup.
Shara “Bullet” Magomedov is set to return to the octagon, taking on Marc-Andre Barriault in a middleweight clash. Magomedov is looking to bounce back from the first loss of his UFC career a tough outing against striking ace Michael “Venom” Page. Barriault, on the other hand, is riding high after a brutal knockout win over Bruno Silva at UFC 315.
In addition to that bout, three more matchups have been added to the Abu Dhabi card:
- A ranked light heavyweight showdown between Nikita Krylov (30-10) and Bogdan Guskov (17-3)
- A flyweight bout between ranked contenders Asu Almabayev (21-3) and Ramazan Temirov (19-3)
- A light heavyweight battle between Ibo Aslan (14-2) and Billy Elekana (7-2)
Krylov, currently ranked No. 10 at 205 pounds, is coming off a tough first-round KO loss to Dominick Reyes at UFC 314. His opponent, No. 14-ranked Guskov, is on a three-fight win streak and most recently submitted Billy Elekana back in January at UFC 311.
As for the flyweights, Almabayev, ranked No. 8, will look to rebound after being stopped by Manel Kape in the main event of UFC Vegas 103. Meanwhile, Temirov, now ranked No. 13, scored a unanimous decision victory over Charles Johnson on the same card.
Ibo Aslan, a 2023 Contender Series standout, made waves with back-to-back knockout wins in his first UFC appearances before suffering a submission loss to Ion Cutelaba in February at UFC Seattle. His opponent, Billy Elekana, a former PFL fighter, is still looking for his first UFC win after falling to Guskov in his debut.
With high-level talent across divisions, UFC Abu Dhabi is quickly becoming a must-watch summer event.
