UFC Abu Dhabi featured some big finishes that led to significant injuries for several fighters.
Two performance of the night bonuses were awarded on July 26, with the card not having a whole lot of competition to choose from.
Muslim Salikhov’s knockout of Carlos Leal unsurprisingly earned the 41-year-old veteran an additional check as he added another highlight to his reel.
Steven Nguyen was the other recipient following his devastating performance against Mohammad Yahya, with a health update being announced following his gruesome eye injury.
Another one of the statement finishes at UFC Abu Dhabi saw a 10-fight UFC veteran record her first knockout or TKO win inside the Octagon.
Amanda Ribas reveals that she requires a second facial surgery after loss to Tabatha Ricci in Abu Dhabi
There were high stakes for both Tabatha Ricci and Amanda Ribas coming into their strawweight matchup on the UFC Abu Dhabi prelims.
Both women were in need of a bounce back win, which Ricci secured to return to the win column after having her momentum halted by Yan Xiaonan last time out.
Ricci stopped Ribas in the second round after landing a huge elbow to her opponent’s face that marked the beginning of the end.
There were immediate questions regarding a potential injury to the Brazilian due to the way that she reacted to the strike before being stopped with a follow up barrage.
Ribas has now confirmed that losing her third fight in a row wasn’t the only setback that she suffered on Saturday night.
In a statement on social media, the 31-year-old revealed that she will require another facial surgery.
Ribas previously had surgery for a broken orbital bone following her loss to Maycee Barber in June of 2023, with her team stating (via Marcel Dorff on X) that the bone broke in the same place during her loss to Ricci.
- READ MORE: Dricus Du Plessis fires bizarre shot at Shara Magomedov after bloody UFC Abu Dhabi victory
UFC Abu Dhabi only produced one other finish in 12 fights
While UFC Abu Dhabi didn’t end up being a disappointing card, there were several matchups that looked like they could produce a highlight reel finish that ended up being decision wins.
Alongside the three knockouts that have already been mentioned, there was only one other finish on July 26, which came from Bogdan Guskov’s big win over Nikita Krylov.
As a result, it was easy to predict who would be taking home the performance of the night bonus awards, even if both Tabatha Ricci and Guskov could’ve also been in the mix.