UFC returns to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on October 30 with another blockbuster event
Two highly anticipated world championship bouts will take place next month
Abu Dhabi: UFC returns to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with another blockbuster event, headlined by two highly anticipated world championship bouts. UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz goes for his second successful title defense when he takes on No. 1 ranked contender Glover Teixeira. In the co-main event, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling look to settle the score with former titleholder and No. 1 ranked contender Petr Yan.
The Blachowicz vs Teixeira fight will take place on Saturday, October 30 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, with the main card starting at 10 p.m. GST. The first preliminary bout will kick off at 6:30 p.m. GST. It will also headline Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, which will feature city-wide activations, including fan events, fitness showcases and much more in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
Tickets on sale now
Tickets have now gone on general sale and are available through Ticketmaster.ae and etihadarena.ae starting from AED 495. Tickets are limited to six per person.
Blachowicz (28-8, fighting out of Warsaw, Poland) looks to build on his recent momentum that not only saw him capture UFC gold, but also hand middleweight champion Israel Adesanya the first loss of his career. A 14-year MMA veteran, he holds spectacular KO wins over Luke Rockhold, Dominick Reyes and Corey Anderson. Blachowicz now has his sights set on taking out another dangerous finisher to continue building his legacy atop the 205-pound ladder.
Teixeira (32-7, fighting out of Danbury, Conn.) hopes to make good on his second UFC title shot by stopping Blachowicz in emphatic fashion. A decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with heavy hands, he has delivered memorable victories against Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Rashad Evans and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Teixeira is now gunning for his sixth consecutive win by dethroning Blachowicz to achieve his dream of becoming UFC champion.
Dominant performance
Sterling (20-3, fighting out of Uniondale, N.Y.) plans to cement his UFC bantamweight championship reign by delivering a dominant performance in the rematch against Yan, who he defeated via disqualification in March. A skilled grappler, he has earned notable wins over Cory Sandhagen, Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera. Sterling now vies to put his rivalry with Yan to bed by netting another show-stealing submission victory.
Yan (15-2, fighting out of Yekaterinburg, Russia) is gunning to avenge his disqualification loss to Sterling by reclaiming the UFC bantamweight championship. A Master of Sport in MMA and boxing, he has secured thrilling KO victories against Jose Aldo, Urijah Faber, Douglas Silva de Andrade and Teruto Ishihara. Yan now intends to get the last laugh against Sterling by finishing the New Yorker and once again taking his spot at the top of the 135-pound division.
• No. 7 ranked Magomed Ankalaev (15-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) takes on No. 8 Volkan Oezdemir (17-5, fighting out of Fribourg, Switzerland) in a clash of light heavyweight contenders
• Top heavyweights collide when No. 5 ranked contender Alexander Volkov (33-9, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) squares off with surging No. 8 Marcin Tybura (22-6, fighting out of Uniejow, Poland)
• No. 12 ranked welterweight contender Li Jingliang (18-6, fighting out of Beijing, China) aims to spoil the return of undefeated Khamzat Chimaev (9-0, Stockholm, Sweden by way of Chechnya, Russia)
• No. 11 ranked strawweight contender Amanda Ribas (10-2, fighting out of Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil) faces No. 12 Virna Jandiroba (17-2, fighting out of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil) in a clash of talented grapplers
• Ricardo Ramos (15-3, fighting out of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil) looks for another vintage win against rising prospect Zubaira Tukhugov (19-5-1, fighting out of Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russia) at featherweight
• Makwan Amirkhani (16-6, fighting out of Turku, Finland by way of Kurdistan) locks horns with Tristan Connelly (14-7, fighting out of Vancouver, BC, Canada) in an intriguing featherweight bout
• Hu Yaozong (3-2, fighting out of Beijing, China) makes his first Octagon appearance in nearly three years when he faces Alen Amedovski (8-2, fighting out of Rome, Italy) at middleweight
• Tagir Ulanbekov (13-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) hopes to continue his momentum when he takes on Allan Nascimento (18-5, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) at flyweight
• Shamil Gamzatov (14-0, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) hopes to remain undefeated when he battles Michal Oleksiejczuk (15-4 1NC, fighting out of Leczna, Poland) at light heavyweight