UFC officially confirmed that they will return to Abu Dhabi on Saturday October 25 with a pay-per-view card for UFC 321, which will take place at the Etihad Arena.
The smart money is on the card featuring a welterweight title battle between newly-crowned champion Jack Della Maddalena and former undisputed lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, but no bouts are currently confirmed for the show.
The last visit to Abu Dhabi saw Ilia Topuria hand Max Holloway the first knockout loss of his career at UFC 308 as he registered a defence of his featherweight title last October.
The co-main event saw Khamzat Chimaev showcase his submission skills as he literally crushed Robert Whittaker’s jaw with a face crank to defeat the former middleweight champion. There was also an important victory for Magomed Ankalaev, who defeated Aleksandar Rakic to earn a title shot against Alex Pereira that he would convert into victory as he became light heavyweight champion the following March.
Bouts for this year’s October pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi will be announced in due course.
