After five years of waiting, Victor Nunes finally has the opportunity to win an MMA belt when he takes on Somali British fighter Muhidin Abubakar in the interim flyweight championship at the UAE Warriors 60 this weekend.
The Abu Dhabi promotion is staging their second back-to-back fight cards with Arabia versus Africa on Thursday and the international card on Friday, both at the Space 42 Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Nunes, 33 and who has lived in Abu Dhabi for the past seven years, arrives on the back of a 6-1 (win/loss) record in the promotion and 11-5 overall tally.
The Brazilian won his last three fights quite impressively, with a unanimous decision over Aaron Aby of Wales followed by two first round stoppages of Jordanian Nawras Abzakh and Genil Francisco of the Philippines.
“I’m very happy for this moment which I have been waiting for the last five years – to fight for a title in front of my family, friends and colleagues,” Nunes told The National at the pre-fight media day on Wednesday.
“I had a great camp for this fight and I'm more than ready to get this belt. Abu Dhabi is one of the best places to train and have a pre-fight camp in the best facilities and with so many of my colleagues around.”
With the title at stake, Nunes is confident ahead of the biggest fight night of his career.
“I have never been in a title fight, but I have been working hard to get there, and now that I have earned it, there’s no stopping me from going on to get the belt,” he said.
“I don’t know how tough my opponent is going to be. I can only know when I actually take him on. He has fought in many promotions and in different countries, but I have been working in all areas and more than ready for a win on the night.”
His opponent Abubakar’s debut in Abu Dhabi ended in defeat to South African Luthando Biko back in September 2023.
That was his only loss, and he’s since bounced back with six straight wins. The last two were in the UAE Warriors – a unanimous decision over South African Gift Walker and Chilean Alfredo Muaiad in round one.
Abubakar’s overall record of 9-1 looks pretty good and the 26-year-old is equally confident of walking away with the interim championship.
“For me, it’s another fight and another opponent. My preparations have been like any other, but I feel at the top of my game for a championship contest,” he said.
“I have proved that in my last two visits to Abu Dhabi. Obviously, I have earned this moment and I’m ready and confident to achieve what I have been working for.”
Aside from the main card, another interesting contest is the co-main event between Brazilian Vinicius Moreira and Canadian Tanner Boser in the 265lbs division that also includes ten other contests.
The interim title belt is a new addition to the promotion after existing belt holders moved on to bigger international events and institutions.
“The UFC is the biggest. They stand at the helm of the MMA world, and we have lost a few fighters to them,” Fouad Darwish, chief executive of Palms Sports, said.
“But I don't consider this loss. They have moved and we are very cognizant of where we stand. I'm not saying we compete with them.
“On the contrary, we like to be the funnel that sends fighters to them. It gives me pride and pleasure that many of our fighters are going there. So, we have lost people with titles.
“It was difficult for us to continue seeing titles being lost for those who would come and fight with us one or two fights and they leave. So, we had to create something that would create more time and give a twist for getting an undisputed belt.”
The action begins with the 13-fight Arabia versus Africa card, highlighted by the bantamweight contest between Abdul Hussein and Sami Yahia and the co-main fight of Islem Masraf and Diego Bandu.
