Abu Dhabi in line to host UFC unification fight
The UAE and Abu Dhabi could be in line to host a lipsmacking UFC unification fight involving lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC president Dana White hinted on Saturday.
The UFC boss, who brought the highly-popular Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event again to these shores as recently as last September, spoke in glowing terms on how incredible the UAE is as a destination as well as how knowledgeable the crowd is about MMA in the country.
Speaking ahead of UFC 249, set to take place at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first sporting event to resume during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, White spoke of a special relationship with the UAE and Abu Dhabi.
“We have a five-year deal with Abu Dhabi for fights in the Middle East,” White told UFC Arabia on Saturday.
“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,” he added.
Explaining the reasons behind it, he said: “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. For people from America, Australia, the UK, or wherever it might be, being a fight fan, you have to check out a fight in Abu Dhabi at some point. Get there, take in the culture, stay in the gorgeous hotels, eat in the unbelievable restaurants, it is truly a great destination for fights.”
And a return to Abu Dhabi in the near future would see Nurmagomedov possibly go head-to-head with the winner of the interim lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, which is the top bill in Florida.
Nurmagomedov, who beat Dustin Poirier, in UFC 242 at The Arena at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi last September, is currently in his native Dagestan. He was initially supposed to go up against Ferguson at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 18 but was postponed due to the pandemic. With Nurmagomedov, nicknamed ‘The Eagle,’ stuck back home due to travel restrictions, he was replaced by Gaethje.
“I don’t know what the landscape is going to look like when Khabib’s ready to fight. I don’t know who is going to win this Saturday that will face Khabib next. We will have to see how this thing plays out. It could be in Abu Dhabi, it could be anywhere,” the 50-year-old said.
The UFC made its Middle Eastern debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC 112 Invincible on April 11, 2010.
The second time it was held was in 2014 with it titled ‘UFC Fight Night.’ Headlining that night was former interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira aka ‘Big Nog,’ who battled Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson. —