Elin Oberg on a mission to bounce back against Larissa Carvalho at UAE Warriors 34

Armenian Martun Mezhlumyan and Spaniard Acoidan Duque feature in main event

Elin Oberg, right, lands a punch on Corinne Laframboise at UAE Warriors 22 at the Mubadala Arena on September 2021. – UAE Warriors

Elin Oberg will have a point to prove on her return to UAE Warriors on Thursday.

Oberg suffered a first-round TKO to Canadian Corinne Laframboise on her debut in the promotion’s fight card over a year ago, but the Swede believes she is in better shape – both physically and mentally – than her last appearance ahead of her fight with Brazilian Larissa Carvalho, who arrives in Abu Dhabi with four successive victories.

Carvalho (4-1) earned a second-round stoppage against American Andy Nguyen last time out in August and is aiming extend her momentum in the only women’s contest at UAE Warriors 34 at Al Jazira Club’s indoor stadium.

“I've been preparing for this day since my last fight over a year ago and feel great to be back in Abu Dhabi,” Oberg said at the pre-fight conference on Tuesday.

“I have watched Larissa’s fighting style. We both like to strike and I would expect a standing fight. I feel I’m in better shape than my first fight in the promotion. My goal is to win and then see what happens next.”

The UAE Warriors card kicks off one of the biggest MMA weeks of the year in Abu Dhabi, setting the stage for UFC 280 headlined by the lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev at Etihad Arena on Saturday.

“The UAE Warriors 34 card isn’t a coincidence that it falls in one of the biggest week in the MMA calendar but we are happy to benefit from this event,” Fouad Darwish, chief executive officer of Palms Sports, said.

“We want our fighters to benefit in being present at the UFC 280 and soak in the experience of a world-class event.”

The UAE Warriors fight night is headlined by Martun Mezhlumyan's fight against Acoidan Duque in the catchweight 165lb main event.

Mezhlumyan, 29, has won his last three fights in UAE Warriors having lost on his promotional debut to Islam Mamadev in November 2020.

The Armenian was impressive in his next three appearances, getting the better of Daniel Vega, Attila Korkmaz, and Carlos Silva.

Duque, meanwhile, returns to the cage for the first time in more than 11 months. His UAE Warriors debut in June 2021 ended in defeat to Daniel Skibinski but bounced back to get the better of Bruno Carvalho by unanimous decision in the SCC Golden Generation in his last appearance.

The co-main event brings together two champions from opposite sides of the world, with Jungle Fight champion Felipe Pereira (10-1-1) meeting former ACA title holder Azamat Kerefov (15-0).

The UAE Warriors 34 will be streamed around the world on UFC Fight Pass.