UFC news: More 'massive fights' will be staged in Abu Dhabi
First rule of UFC fight club is: Heavily publicise the fights…
UFC 242, which was held at The Arena, on Yas Island in September 2019, was the first event in a five-year deal to the bring mixed martial arts (MMA) championship to Abu Dhabi.
Heading up the ticket was a lightweight unification bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier.
The winner and reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, Russian fighter Nurmagomedov is a devout Muslim and hugely popular in the region.
And speaking to UFC Arabia ahead of last Saturday’s UFC 249 in Florida, UFC boss Dana White hinted that the Nurmagomedov could be heading back to an octagon near you
“I don’t know what the landscape is going to look like when Khabib’s ready to fight … It could be in Abu Dhabi, it could be anywhere”
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Justin Gaethje, the victor in that UFC 249 Lightweight fight against Tony Ferguson is the natural contender. He actually appeared in UFC 249 as a replacement for Nurmagomedov who was grounded due to travel restrictions.
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And Gaethje’s win makes him the interim UFC Lightweight Champion, so another unification battle would be the logical move.
Adding further fuel to the location rumour, White spoke further about his fondness for our emirate
“We are going to just keep putting on massive fights in Abu Dhabi and keep educating the world on what an incredible destination for fights it is.”
“I have an incredible relationship with Abu Dhabi. Any opportunity that I can get to do an event in Abu Dhabi, I will be there. It is a very well-educated market, fans love the sport, they get the sport, they support the sport.”
Fight fans, watch this space…
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