The main card for UFC Abu Dhabi has been confirmed, with several fan favourites and legends set to appear.
The promotion head to the Etihad Arena on August 3rd with a blockbuster main card which, amongst featuring a former Flyweight champion and several previous title contenders, will see Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov squaring off in what will be a number one contender fight at Bantamweight.
Taking to Instagram, UFC CEO Dana White expressed his excitement at the upcoming card. He said:
“Fight night, Abu Dhabi, Etihad Arena, Saturday, August 3rd. In the main event, you have the best prospect in the Bantamweight division and number ten ranked Umar Nurmagomedov taking on number two ranked Cory Sandhagen in what is the number one contender fight at 135lbs. In the five round co-main event, Nick Diaz is returning to the Welterweight division to fight number 14 ranked Vicente Luque in what is certain to be an absolute war.
“Number four ranked Chito Vera is returning after his title fight against O'Malley in March to take on former world champion and number six ranked Deiveson Figueiredo. Figueredo is undefeated since moving up to 135 and is coming off a finish over Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300. Number seven, Mackenzie Dern is facing number ten, ranked Lupita Godinez in a fight that features two of the most active strikers in the 115lbs Women's division.
“Opening the main card is a fight between the legend, Tony Ferguson, moving up to 170lbs in what could be his final fight, to take on Michael Chiesa. Ladies and gentlemen, August 3rd from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. I will see you there.”
The return of Diaz caught many by surprise, with the former title challenger preparing to compete for the first time since his loss to Robbie Lawler in 2021. In what will undoubtedly be a tough return to the cage, Diaz will take on the seasoned Vicente Luque. After amassing a solid four fight winning streak between 2020-2021, Luque has suffered a slight dip in his form, going 1-3 in his last four and entering the contest on the back of a loss to Joaquin Buckley earlier this year.
Deiveson Figueiredo has the opportunity to quickly rise through the Bantamweight division and take a big step closer to title contention if he can find a path to victory against the ever-dangerous Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in the 135lbs clash. After dropping his Flyweight title to Brandon Moreno at UFC 283, the Brazilian made the decision to move to Bantamweight and after a unanimous decision win against Rob Font in his first outing in the new weight class, Figueiredo then faced former champion Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300. 'Deus Da Guerra' then claimed his biggest scalp so far when he submitted ‘No Love’ in the second round. ‘Chito’ returns to the octagon looking to get back in the win column following his unsuccessful attempt at claiming Bantamweight gold at UFC 299.
Mackenzie Dern will be extremely keen to find a route back to winning ways as she enters her bout against Lupita Godinez. Dern comes into the contest after picking up back-to-back losses for the first time in her career. After being stopped by Jessica Andrade in the second round of their UFC 296 bout, she was then handed a unanimous decision loss by Amanda Lemos in February of 2024. Godinez will want to return to the fine form she found herself in throughout the duration of 2023, as she looks to climb up the rankings. In what was an extremely busy year for the Mexican, Godinez made the walk four times last year and was victorious in all four contests. However, like Dern, she too enters the upcoming bout on the back of a loss, with Virna Jandiroba handing her a decision loss in March of 2024.
Another legend is set to open the main card, with Tony Ferguson in search of his first win since 2019 against Michael Chiesa. After being stopped by Justin Gaethje at UFC 249, 'El Cucuy' has competed 6 times but has come up short in all contests. Two unanimous decision losses to Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush came immediately after the Gaethje loss and they were then followed by a brutal second round knockout loss against Michael Chandler, two submission losses to Nate Diaz and Bobby Green, and a unanimous decision loss to Paddy Pimblett. In his move up to Welterweight, Ferguson will continue to face tough challenges as Chiesa looks to change his recent form, against a legend. Following losses to Vicente Luque and Sean Brady in 2021, ‘Maverick’ had an almost two-year hiatus from competing. He returned to the octagon at UFC 291 but was submitted by Kevin Holland in the second round of their contest.
