Highlights from the UFC Abu Dhabi Event-UFC fight night abu dhabi
Primary Event: Reinier de Ridder versus Robert Whittaker
The night was headlined by a brutal five-round battle in which de Ridder defeated former champion Whittaker by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 47-48). In the bout, Whittaker began strong with powerful strikes, but de Ridder gradually gained ground with clinical knees, ground control, and unrelenting pressure in the latter rounds.
The Dutch submission stalwart improved to 21–2 and called for a title shot next, while Whittaker suffered a tough setback in his comeback journey after previous losses to Khamzat Chimaev and de Ridder
The Co-Main Event: Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee
Former Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan made his comeback and dominated the bout from beginning to end, winning a unanimous decision against Marcus McGhee, who was previously unbeaten (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Other Notable Main Card Bouts
In a hard-fought contest that eventually won Fight of the Night, Shara Magomedov defeated Marc-Andre Barriault by a unanimous score of 30-27.
Jose Ochoa vs. Asu Almabayev: Almabayev won by a unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28).
Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov: Guskov defeated Krylov in the first round by TKO, using a strong right hook followed by ground strikes, bringing the bout to an end at 4:18 of the first round.
Highlights from the Preliminaries
Said Nurmagomedov versus Bryce Mitchell: In the featherweights, Mitchell won by a unanimous decision (29-28 x3).
Carlos Leal vs. Muslim Salikhov: With a right hook that ended the fight in 42 seconds, Salikhov scored a crushing knockout and took home the title of Performance of the Night.
Davey Grant versus Da’Mon Blackshear: Grant rebounded and won by a unanimous verdict (29-28 x3).
Ricci defeated Ribas in the second round with a brutal elbow and subsequent ground punches, making for a significant comeback victory.
Billy Elekana vs. Ibo Aslan: Elekana won by a landslide decision.
Steven Nguyen defeated Mohammad Yahya by a doctor stoppage TKO in the second round after hitting a UFC-record six knockdowns, which caused severe swelling around Yahya’s left eye. Nguyen received the Performance of the Night award for the fight, and the UFC president Dana White shared a graphic injury photo on social media afterward, raising health concerns.
Martin Buday defeated Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida by a slim margin (29-28 x3) in his UFC debut against the top grappler.
Rewards and Bonuses
The Night’s Fight: Magomedov vs. Barriault (each worth $50K)
Night’s Performance: Muslim Salikhov and Steven Nguyen ($50,000 each)
