Abu Dhabi fight fans will witness two title fights when the world's leading MMA promotion returns to the UAE this Saturday, October 24.
Topping the bill is featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who puts his belt on the line against top-ranked Movsar Evloev.
The co-main event sees Petr Yan defend his bantamweight belt against the man he dethroned last December, Merab Dvalishvili.
Abu Dhabi has a long history of memorable title bouts. We take a look back at five of the most memorable.
1. Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa, UFC 253
When the Covid-19 pandemic caused most of the world to shut down, the UFC needed a new home to keep events going.
Abu Dhabi stepped in and Yas Island became Fight Island. Strict protocols included journalists holed up in nearby hotels for weeks at a time, having meals delivered to their rooms daily.
Abu Dhabi helped keep the sport of MMA alive. Crowds at Fight Island were restricted, which made the sound of every taunt audible, every punch and kick echo around the specially constructed venue.
Those lucky enough to attend UFC 253 got to see a wizard at work.
Israel Adesanya was at the peak of his powers, putting his undefeated 19-0 record and his UFC middleweight title on the line against Paulo Costa, who probably weighed the 185lb limit for the few seconds he had to stand on the scales at weigh-in.
Adesanya delivered a striking masterclass, picking off the Brazilian at will. Adesanya chewed up Costa's lead leg before a second-round TKO cemented his place as the best middleweight since the great Anderson Silva.
2. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Dustin Poirier, UFC 242
If Fight Island was notable for the eerie silence, UFC 242 will be remembered for its deafening roars.
The reason for the decibels amping up was down to one man: Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Khabib drew energetic crowds throughout fight week. Abu Dhabi had erected a venue specifically for the event on Yas Island called The Arena. Over 13,000 were in attendance, many sporting Khabib's famous “papakha” headpiece.
In 2019, he was at his brilliant best. The Dagestani destroyer put his UFC lightweight title on the line against interim champ Dustin Poirier.
From the first round, Nurmagomedov established control, wrestling the American to the ground, softening him up with crunching ground-and-pound and attempting several submissions.
He finally landed one in Round 3, with Poirier forced to tap out as Nurmagomedov cinched in a rear-naked choke.
He jumped the octagon fence to hug UFC president Dana White, a stark contrast to his post-fight antics following his win over Conor McGregor the previous year, an incident that lives on in infamy.
Nurmagomedov was magnanimous in victory; Poirier humble in defeat. A love affair between Abu Dhabi and the undefeated Russian was established and endures to this day.
Even in retirement, he still gets the biggest pop from the crowd at UFC Abu Dhabi events.
3. Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway 2, UFC 251
Alexander 'The Great' is no stranger to these shores. His headline bout at UFC 333 will be the fourth time the Australian has fought in Abu Dhabi.
Volkanovski had ended Holloway’s reign at the top of the featherweight division in December 2019, earning a unanimous decision few had predicted.
He was quick to grant the Hawaii native a rematch, knowing another victory over a fighter as talented as Holloway would offer legitimacy to his claim as the new ruler of the 145lb division.
That fight took place at UFC 251 and was an absolute tear-up. Holloway came out of the gates firing, using creative kicks and punch combinations behind a masterful jab. Volkanovski showed true grit to hang tough, grab a foothold in the contest, and slowly assert his own dominance.
The scorecards would later reveal all three judges had scored the first two rounds to Holloway, with rounds 3 and 4 for Volkanovski. Fighters have a sense of the way the fight is going, and so both probably knew it would all come down to the final round to determine who walked off with the strap.
Volkanovski was judged to have edged it – a decision that still rankles with Holloway to this day. Either way, Abu Dhabi got to witness two of the best featherweights of all time go toe-to-toe for championship gold.
4. Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev, UFC 280
Charles Oliveira arrived in Abu Dhabi ahead of UFC 280 still recognised by many as the unofficial champion of the lightweight division.
The Brazilian had been controversially stripped of the belt before his fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 for missing the 155lb weight limit – by half a pound.
Many thought the punishment was excessive, since non-title fights are allowed a half-pound exemption. It is the only time in UFC history a title has been vacated due to missing weight.
Officially, his bout with Islam Makhachev was for the vacant belt. Oliveira had been on a tear, the division's bogeyman, owner of a host of UFC records, including most submission wins, most finishes and most Performance of the Night bonuses.
Makhachev, the protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov, boasted a record of 23 wins against one defeat, and his ascent had many wondering if he would one day surpass the accomplishments of his mentor. The UFC had pitted the two best in its deepest division against each other.
Oliveira was on his back early, a position he is infinitely comfortable with, but the Dagestani's grappling and ground control proved the superior weapons.
A straight left in Round 2 floored Oliveira, and Makhachev did not need a second invite. More used to making his opponents tap, the sight of Oliveira frantically signalling that Makhachev's squeeze on a perfectly executed arm bar was too hot to handle is a sight few will forget.
5. Jan Blachowicz vs Glover Teixeira, UFC 267
Glover Teixeira was finally given another shot at UFC gold at UFC 267 when he faced light heavyweight belt holder Jan Blachowicz.
Teixeira thought his chance had passed him by. For four years, he was unable to fight in the US due to prolonged visa and immigration issues. Bureaucracy and legal red tape had robbed him of his best years in the UFC.
But at age 42, he was given a second title shot, seven years after his first, a defeat to the indomitable Jon Jones.
Blachowicz, four years Teixeira's junior, entered as a heavy favourite and was expected to dominate with his legendary “Polish power”.
Teixeira had other ideas. The Brazilian immediately implemented his grappling, grounding Błachowicz in the first round. In the second, after staggering the champion with a left hook, Teixeira executed another takedown, quickly transitioned to the back, and forced Błachowicz to tap to a rear-naked choke.
No one who has met or spent any sort of time with Teixeira begrudged him his moment. His victory over Błachowicz made him the oldest first-time UFC champion, the second oldest overall after Randy Couture and only the third fighter to win a world title in his forties (Couture and Daniel Cormier are the other two).
