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Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk
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Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk

After traveling to Manchester, England for UFC 304, the UFC heads to Abu Dhabi this week for a UFC Fight Night event taking place at the Etihad Arena on Saturday (August 3).

UFC News: October Fight Night Card Adds Heavyweight KO Artist, Top Flyweights

The main event pits Cory Sandhagen against undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov in a potential UFC bantamweight title fight.

The pair were originally set to headline UFC Nashville last year, but Nurmagomedov pulled out due to injury. With both men picking up a win in the interim, theyā€™ll now reunite to try and set up a showdown between Sean Oā€™Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.

The evening’s original co-main event was a welterweight bout between Nick Diaz and Vicente Luque, but after that bout was canceled due to “travel issues,” the UFC quickly scheduled a middleweight matchup featuring Shara Magomedov and Michał Oleksiejczuk.

After only the second straight defeat of his career, Oleksiejczuk will look to hand Magomedov his first loss after “Bullet” extended his undefeated record by knocking out Antonio TrĆ³coli in his second UFC appearance in June.

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Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

The latest challenger for the UFC bantamweight title will take on the promotion’s former flyweight champion. Figueiredo has quickly risen to the bantamweight title thanks to wins over Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt, but he’ll face a tough test in Abu Dhabi as Vera looks to build on a lukewarm decision loss to bantamweight king O’Malley at UFC 299.

Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener

UFC Abu Dhabi Preview: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk

Jul 22, 2023; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Marc Diakiese (red gloves) fights Joel Alvarez (blue gloves) at UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports / Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

Thereā€™s a reason this lightweight matchup was booked as the main card opener for UFC Abu Dhabi. All 20 of Alvarezā€™s professional wins have come via finish, and after returning to the win column last year against Marc Diakiese, the Spaniard will be looking to build some momentum when he takes on another dangerous finisher in Brener.

Guram Kutateladze vs Jordan Vucenic

UFC Abu Dhabi Preview: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk

June 18, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Damir Ismagulov (red gloves) fights Guram Kutateladze (blue gloves) at UFC Fight Night at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Originally scheduled to face Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady, Kutateladze will now welcome former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Jordan Vucenic to the UFC. ā€œThe Epidemicā€ made his successful lightweight debut when he scored a first-round submission over Adrian Kepa at Cage Warriors 174, and now Vucenic will attempt to hand Kutateladze a third straight loss with what would be his second win in just two weeks.

Tony Ferguson

UFC Abu Dhabi Preview: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk

Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Tony Ferguson (red gloves) fights Paddy Pimblett (blue gloves) at UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Much has been said and written about Fergusonā€™s lengthy losing streak, and he faces another difficult matchup when he takes on Michael Chiesa. A move up to welterweight could give ā€œEl Cucuyā€ the spark he needs at this late stage in his career, but if he canā€™t turn back the clock, the former interim titleholder could leave Abu Dhabi on an eight-fight losing streak.

Azamat Murzakanov

UFC Abu Dhabi Preview: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk

Apr 15, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Dustin Jacoby (red gloves) fights Azamat Murzakanov (blue gloves) at UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Murzakanov is currently ranked #14 in the UFC light heavyweight division and will be looking to defend his spot against #15 Alonzo Menifield. ā€œThe Professionalā€ saw two high-profile matchups with Volkan Oezdemir and Khalil Rountree Jr. fall short last year, and if he can extend his undefeated record against Menifield, the 35-year-old should get a chance to continue his climb up the rankings in his next outing.

Mackenzie Dern

UFC Abu Dhabi Preview: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Amanda Lemos pins Mackenzie Dern to the cage at UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Dern is currently on her first back-to-back losing streak of her career. She is 2-4 in her last six fights but is still ranked No. 7 in the UFC strawweight division. The 10th-ranked Godinez will be looking to take that spot after Virna Jandiroba snapped a four-fight winning streak. This feels like a must-win fight for Dern if she wants to stay in contention for the strawweight title.

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MMA Knockout will be providing extensive coverage of UFC Abu Dhabi throughout the entire competition week, so check our homepage regularly for live results and highlights of all the action on competition night.

ā€¢ Main Event: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

ā€¢ Co-main event: Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Oleksiejczuk

ā€¢ Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

ā€¢ Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa

ā€¢ Mackenzie Dern vs. Lupita Godinez

ā€¢ Joel Alvarez vs. Elfen Brener

ā€¢ Alonzo Menifield vs. Azamat Murzakanov

ā€¢ Mohammad Yahya vs. KauĆŖ Fernandes

ā€¢ Shamil Gaziev vs. Don’Tale Mayes

ā€¢ Guram Kutateladze vs Jordan Vucenic

ā€¢ Victoria Dudakova vs. Sam Hughes

ā€¢ Jai Herbert vs. Rolando Bedoya

ā€¢ Sedriques Dumas vs Denis Tiuliulin

ā€¢ MMA News: Amateur fighter wins women’s flyweight belt with one-shot head kick KO

ā€¢ WWE SummerSlam 2024 Predictions: Will Roman Reigns Confront the Bloodline?

ā€¢ WWE Raw Results: Damian Priest and Gunther Fight for SummerSlam 2024 Title Match

ā€¢ UFC 304: Colby Covington Takes Shots at Leon Edwards and ‘Juice Monkey’ Belal Muhammad

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