UFC Abu Dhabi: 29 Fun Tidbits, Facts And Must-Watch Fights

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

After UFC 304‘s big pay-per-view (PPV) event in which Leon Edwards lost his Welterweight championship to Belal Muhammad (recap here), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stays on the road, traveling to the Middle East for a solid “Fight Night”-themed card in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In the main event, top-ranked Bantamweight contender, Cory Sandhagen, takes on surging prospect, Umar Nurmagomedov, in a pivotal matchup.

For a fight night, UFC Abu Dhabi is very fun, and there are several must-watch fights. So before it all goes down tomorrow morning (Sat., Aug. 3, 2024) on ABC/ESPN+, let’s checkout some random storylines, tidbits and statistics ahead of showtime:

Dhabi In July

UFC has a significant annual PPV event in Abu Dhabi each October; however, this weekend is a “Fight Night.” The last time the promotion held an Abu Dhabi “Fight Night” was in Jan. 2021, when three straight events occurred: Max Holloway styled on Calvin Katter, Michael Chiesa dominated Neil Magny and Dustin Poirier knocked out Conor McGregor.

Rebooked

Sandhagen vs. Numagomedov was initially supposed to occur back in Aug. 2023 at UFC Nashville; however, the Russian pulled out (details here).

Dagestani Privilege?

While “Sandhagen vs. Numagomedov” is an incredible fight, it doesn’t make any sense for Sandhagen, who is ranked No. 2 in the division (Nurmagomedov is seeded No. 10).

Many people have pointed out that Nurmagomedov is related to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and because of that, he is getting pushed hard. Also, in the past 1.5 years, Dagestani fighters such as Abus Magomedov, Ikram Alisekrov and Shamil Gaziev have been awarded main event spots for no reason (they all got finished).

Coach Eagle

Khabib will be in his cousin’s corner this weekend. He was last seen in Islam Makhachev’s corner at UFC 302 just a month ago.

Title Shot On The Line

The winner of “Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” will most likely compete for the 135-pound title next, challenging the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvilli, which will take place at Noche UFC 2 on Sept. 14, 2024.

Sandhagen is riding a three-fight win streak, while Nurmagomedov is undefeated and is perfect (5-0) in UFC.

Certified Headliner

Sandhagen will compete in his sixth main event this weekend, which will be his fourth straight headlining spot.

Main Event Noob

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov will compete in his first-ever UFC main event this weekend.

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen v Nurmagomedov Ceremonial Weigh-in

Short Notice Co-Main

Shara Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk is going down in UFC Abu Dhabi’s co-main event and should end violently. The fight came together on relatively short notice (just two weeks) — thanks to Nick Diaz!

Shara “Bullet,” meanwhile, is 2-0 in UFC thus far and is super exciting to watch.

Figgy Heist?

“Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” is pretty clearly a No. 1 contender fight, but if Deiveson Figueiredo goes out there and starches Marlon Vera, can he leapfrog the two fighters in the main event?

Let me try and sell it …

Figueiredo is a two-time Flyweight champion and has looked tremendous at Bantamweight thus far. UFC can sell him against the winner O’Malley vs. Dvalishvilli, as the Brazilian is going for the rare club of dual division champion.

Also, if he were to stop Vera, he would be the first fighter to do it.

Yes, “Sandhagen vs. O’Malley” is a fight nerd’s dream fight, but if Nurmagomedov wins, tell me you wouldn’t want to see O’Malley vs. Figueiredo (assuming he beats Dvalishvilli).

‘Chito’ Bounce Back

Vera returns to action for the first time since he got demolished for five rounds against O’Malley at UFC 299 in Miami, Fla., earlier this year (watch highlights).

He also has a history with Sandhagen — he lost to him in 2023.

Lousy History In The Making

Tony Ferguson has a chance to snatch up the all-time time longest losing streak with a loss. He is tied with B.J. Penn for the longest in company history with seven. He faces Michael Chiesa at Welterweight.

Pain.

Double Retirement

Undoubtedly, Ferguson and Chiesa are close to the end of their respective careers. Chiesa was close to retiring after his last fight, and because of his UFC analyst gig, it makes sense.

Meanwhile, UFC CEO, Dana White, claimed it would be Ferguson’s last fight in the promotion, but during UFC Abu Dhabi media day, Ferguson (surprise!) said he isn’t done yet.

Eight Years In The Making …

Ferguson and Chiesa were supposed to fight in 2016 at UFC Fight Night 91 in the main event; however, Chiesa pulled out with a back injury. Ferguson went on fight Lando Vannata in what would end up being “Fight of the Night.”

Back To ‘Ole Tony?

Ferguson revealed during UFC Abu Dhabi fight week media that he sparred during training camp for the first time in seven years; in fact, for 120 rounds.

Ferguson isn’t the only fighter who stopped sparring — the aforementioned Holloway infamously revealed that he had stopped sparring for a long time.

Fight Night Tony

UFC Abu Dhabi will be the first time since 2016 that Tony Ferguson is not fighting on a PPV numbered card. The last Fight Night he fought on was The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson

Dangerous D’arce?

Ferguson has three UFC wins by D’arce choke, and Chiesa has three losses by D’arce choke. Hmmm …

Ranked Strawweights

Top 10-seeded women’s Strawweight contenders will clash in the second fight on the main card as No. 7 ranked Mackenize Dern takes on No. 10 Loopy Godinez.

Both women are coming off losses, so a win is absolutely pivotal. This is also a classic “Striker vs. Grappler” matchup, so it will be interesting.

Lightweight Car Crash

Kicking off the main card is an absolutely violent matchup between two Lightweight killers with big finishes: Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brenner.

Alvarez has a 100 percent finish rate and 17 submission wins, while Brenner has an 88 percent finish rate and 11 wins … but has two knockouts so far in his UFC career.

This fight will be insane for as long as it lasts.

Welcome To UFC!

Only one fighter is making their UFC debut this weekend: Jordan Vucenic.

Up a weight class, Vucenic is stepping up on a week’s notice to take on Guram Kutateladze — a tough out. “The Epidemic” is the current Cage Warriors Featherweight champion and holds a 61 percent finish rate with six submission wins.

Vucenic has been on the cusp of UFC for several years, but for whatever reason, he never got the call … until now.

Georgian Viking Returns

Speaking of Kutateladze, he returns to action after a 13-month lay off because of injuries and visa issues. It seems like Kutateladze fights once every 78 years, which sucks, but he’s back. He is coming off the second two-fight losing streak of his career, but after his last losing streak, he rattled off nine wins.

‘The Professional’ Is Back

Another returning fighter is Azamat Murzakanov, who has been gone for 16 months. He takes on Alonzo Meinfield, and both men are in the Light Heavyweight Top 15.

Murzakanov is undefeated (13-0) and is perfect (3-0) in UFC with two finishes.

It is unfortunate that “The Professional” has been so inactive because we really don’t know how good he is. Plus, he’s already 35 years old.

Back To The ‘Prelims,’ Buddy

This weekend, Shamil Gaziev returns to action against Don’Tale Mayes on the “Prelims.” In his last fight, he headlined UFC Vegas 87 against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Gaziev did well in the first round, but then he gassed and got finished, which sent him back to the early “Prelims.

Rebooked!

Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin opens up the card this weekend. The pair of Middleweights were supposed to throw down at UFC Saudi Arabia, but the fight was canceled because of travel issues. It was then rebooked for UFC Abu Dhabi — from one Middle East card to another.

Tiuliulin is riding a three-fight losing streak.

UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Leader

The fighter with the most career fights competing at UFC Abu Dhabi is Ferguson (35).

UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Rookie

The fighter with the least amount of career fights competing at UFC Abu Dhabi is Victoria Dudakova (8).

UFC Abu Dhabi Knockout King

The fighter with the most amount of career knockouts competing at UFC Abu Dhabi is Oleksiejczuk (14).

UFC Abu Dhabi Submission Savant

The fighter with the most amount of career submissions competing at UFC Abu Dhabi is Alvarez (17).

Winners And Losers

Nine fighters are coming off wins, and 17 are coming off losses.

Multi-Divisions

Here are the divisions that will be on display this Saturday:

One Heavyweight fight
One Light Heavyweight fight
Two Middleweight fights
One Welterweight fight
Four Lightweight fights
Two Bantamweight fights
Two Women’s Strawweight fights

Beta Dog

According to DraftKings, the “biggest” underdog at UFC Abu Dhabi is Ferguson at +440.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Abu Dhabi fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ABC/ESPN (simulcast on ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Abu Dhabi: “Sandhagen vs. Umar” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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