Onslaught from the octagon

From left: Renzo Gracie, Vitor Belfort, BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar will be part of UFC 112 held at Ferrari World on Yas Island on April 10.

Months of rumour and speculation can be consigned to history: Abu Dhabi took the gloves off yesterday. The capital's first Ultimate Fighting Championship event, dubbed UFC112, will rumble, grumble and tumble into the emirate on April 10. To house the blood and thunder generated by the world's foremost mixed martial artists going toe-to-toe, a specially built 12,000 all-seater venue is being constructed at Yas Island's Ferrari World.

At its epicentre will be the UFC Octagon: an eight-sided combat cage. The outdoor setting, according to UFC co-owner and chief executive Lorenzo Fertitta, will - for one night only - transform Yas into a Middle East incarnation of Las Vegas's Caesar's Palace. "We expect a sell-out based on the early interest we have received," said Fertitta at a press conference to launch UFC112 yesterday. "One of the things that was important to us was not just bringing the UFC here and letting the brand do the work, we wanted to bring a world-class event."

As Fertitta alludes, the real star of UFC112 is its fight-card. Two world titles bouts on the same bill does not constitute standard company scheduling procedure; when you are in the business of holding monthly pay-per-view events, it is logical to share the pie around. But then again, UFC112 is no an ordinary fight night. It was never going to be. Local events firm Flash Entertainment's 10 per cent acquisition of Zuffa, the UFC's parent company, a fortnight ago ensured that. As does the likely presence of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, a renowned MMA fan and jiu-jitsu black belt, in 10 weeks time. The royal, who has already reserved 200 seats, will have demanded a show.

Still, title defences by middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva and lightweight king BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, two of the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters of all time, represents a stunning coup. "We very rarely have two championship fights on one card, very rarely," said Fertitta. "But we committed that we were going to do that and we also have Renzo Gracie in UFC for the first time, against Matt Hughes, who is a legend in the sport. You couldn't ask for a better card; we have delivered."

True, they have. Now it is up to the fighters. Having stepped up a weight-class to dispatch former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin in his last fight, Silva's seventh title defence sees him return to his natural weight to face compatriot and training partner Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort. With lightening-quick hand-speed and explosive power, Belfort's solid jiu-jitsu game makes him a worthy challenger for Silva, who is undefeated in his last 10 UFC contests.

Fighters do not generally get near Silva, a specialist striker whose defensive artistry is only bettered by a capacity to enact the take-down himself. If he was a boxer, albeit without the mouth, arrogance and money, Silva would be Floyd Mayweather: elusive and ruthless in equal measures. Under the same comparative criteria, Belfort, 32, would be Arturo Gatti-esque: he is an all-action power fighter who has been soundly smashing opponents since he was 18. Belfort's most recent victim, the UFC's all-American poster-boy Rich Franklin, was floored in such devastating fashion that Dana White, the league's president, instantly handed the Phenom a title shot. If prompted, a cynic might suggest White's gesture illustrates how lethal Silva has been in clearing the field of contenders. Likewise, Frankie Edgar represents the latest in a long line of No 1 contenders to emerge from a swathe of pretenders to challenge BJ Penn's lightweight dominance. Thus far, none have downed the Hawaiian, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing specialist.

Only Penn's desire to test himself against more formidable - and ultimately bigger - foes has seen him beaten in recent years, as three defeats to welterweight opponents Georges St Pierre (twice) and Hughes illustrate. For now, Penn is content to remain at lightweight. "I'm interested in moving up but I've done that in the past and looked beyond things. I've been around too long to underestimate anyone now."

Abu Dhabi could be the last UFC event for some time where MMA fans will see Silva and Penn - two of the league's greatest fighters and future Hall of Famers - fight in their natural classifications. If either contrives to lose in the hurly-burly humidity of a fast-encroaching summer season, they will be assured of return shots back in the States. In all likelihood, both will win with something to spare.

But that should not dampen the excitement, UFC has landed with a bang in Abu Dhabi and, judging by the debut event's top-shelf cast, it is here to stay. @Email:[e-mail]