Dana White is starting to make his presence felt in the build-up to UFC 317.
On Tuesday, he stunned fans by setting a two-week deadline to get Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall done.
Less than 24 hours later, the UFC CEO has officially announced five big fights for next month’s Abu Dhabi card.
A middleweight title eliminator between former champion Robert Whittaker and Reiner de Ridder was booked to headline the event a while ago – now it’s been revealed a bunch of big stars will join the 185lb duo in the Middle East on July 26.
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Dana White confirms six UFC Abu Dhabi fights
On Wednesday, Dana White listed six massive fights that will take place at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Everyone already knew who would headline, but some of the other matchups surprised fans.
The five-round co-main event will see top featherweight contender Movsar Evloev face UFC newcomer Aaron Pico in a fight that will see the winner face 145lb king Alexander Volkanovski.
Before that, former bantamweight champion Petr Yan will face #13-ranked Marcus McGhee.
Bryce Mitchell will drop down to 135lbs to face Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi next month.
Fan favorite Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov will look to bounce back from his first MMA loss when he squares off against Marc-Andre Barriault after light-heavyweight veteran Nikita Krylov kicks off the six-fight main card.
He’ll take on Bogdan Guskov, who has picked up three stoppage wins since losing in his September 2023 UFC debut.
Who else is fighting at UFC Abu Dhabi?
A strawweight fight between Amanda Ribas and Tabatha Ricci is expected to take place on the card.
Ibo Aslan is also expected to return after seeing his six-fight win streak snapped last time out.
The man Ion Cuțelaba tapped out inside one round will face Billy Elekana at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Several spots remain open, so you can expect Dana White to drop news about his promotion’s return to the region soon.