UFC Abu Dhabi start time, full fight card details

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (a.k.a. “Fight Island”) later TODAY (Sat., July 26, 2025) to stage the “Whittaker vs. de Ridder”-led event, streaming on ESPN+. As its moniker suggests, UFC Abu Dhabi will feature a Middleweight collision between former division kingpin, Robert Whittaker, and rising star, Reinier de Ridder. In the co-main event, Petr Yan faces Marcus McGhee in a head-scratching Bantamweight bout.

What’s Hot:

Just nine months after having his whole grill destroyed by the powerful Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 back in Oct. 2024 (re-live that here), Whittaker is back at it. UFC’s former 185-pound kingpin is an even 3-3 in his last six fights, and many are questioning if he’s starting to slow down and showing signs of the wear and tear that comes with an extended career in such a brutal sport.

But, Whittaker is still just 34 years of age, and losing to Chimaev is nothing to hang his head over. “The Reaper” remains one of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport, but despite his preference to stand-and-bang, he only has one knockout win in eight years, which came against Ikram Aliskerov in Abu Dhabi (see it here). Still, there are so many ways in which Whittaker can break down his foe and get a win that doesn’t involve getting a stoppage.

And that will all have to be on full display against de Ridder.

“The Dutch Knight” is flying high after halting the Bo Nickal hype train dead in its tracks just two months ago. That was his fourth straight win, keeping him a perfect (3-0) inside the trademarked Octagon. A win over Whittaker would no doubt vault de Ridder into the Top 10 … and closer to his first taste of a UFC title fight. The former ONE Championship dual champion has shown he is a force to be reckoned with, and if he can secure an impressive win against a former champion like Whittaker, the sky will truly be the limit for his next challenge.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Ramazan Temirov was yanked from his Flyweight fight against Asu Almabayev after he failed a pre-fight drug test. As a result, Jose Ochoa was tapped to fill the void on short notice. Ochoa is coming off a knockout win over Cody Durden, his first win inside the Octagon. As for Almabayev, he saw his four-fight win streak come to an end after losing to Manel Kape earlier this year.

Injuries:

The co-main event was initially set to feature the high-profile promotional debut of Aaron Pico, taking on Movsar Evloev; however, Evloev had to pull out with an injury. The 145-pound bout is currently in talks to be moved to UFC 319 next month (Aug. 16, 2025) in Chicago.

New Blood:

Marcus Buchecha will make his Octagon debut against Martin Buday. Buchecha spent his entire professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career fighting for ONE Championship, collecting a 5-1 record, securing first-round stoppages in all of his victories. He is exciting to say the least, but Buday is a grizzled veteran with a 6-1 record who is more than ready to spoil his party. If it goes to the ground, however, it will be a short night for Buday because Buchecha — a fourth-degree black belt — is nothing short of a wizard on the ground, boasting multiple BJJ world titles, including a pair of ADCC gold medals.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

After starting off his UFC career with six straight wins, Bryce Mitchell is another one of those fighters who has fallen on hard times. “Thug Nasty” is 2-3 in his last five fights, though, to his credit, those defeats came against current UFC Lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria, Josh Emmett and rising star, Jean Silva, in his most recent defeat. He has another tough challenge ahead of him in Said Nurmagomedov, who is coming off a loss at the hands of Vinicius Oliveira, and is desperately trying to avoid a second straight loss.

Muslim Salikhov is out to lock down his third straight win for the first time in four years when he battles Carlos Leal in Welterweight action. “King of Kung Fu” is nearing 42 years of age, but shows no signs of slowing down. As For Leal, “The Lion” is 3-1 in his last four fights, with his lone defeat during his run coming against Rinat Fakhretdinov in what marked his Octagon debut in Oct. 2024.

Da’Mon Blackshear is currently on a nice run, winning three straight, including two submission wins. The talented Bantamweight is eyeing four wins in a row for the first time in a long time when he locks horns against long-time veteran, Davey Grant, who is 3-1 in his last four fights. This will be his first taste of action in 2025, as he as last seen defeating Ramon Taveras in Dec. 2024.

Amanda Ribas was once considered a rising star in the promotion after racking up four straight wins. Since then, however, she has been rather inconsistent, going just 3-5. She is coming off back-to-back losses at the hands of Mackenzie Dern and Rose Namajunas. She will attempt to get back on track against Tabatha Ricci, who is also trying to get into the win column once more after losing to Xiaonan Yan in her most recent outing.

Billy Elekana did not get off on the right foot to his UFC career, losing to Bogdan Guskov at UFC 311 earlier this year. He will try his luck once more when he takes in Ibo Aslan, who is coming off a submission loss courtesy of Ion Cutelaba. Prior to the defeat (re-watch the finish here), he had won six in a row, including two inside the Octagon.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Mohammad Yahya kicked off his UFC career with two straight defeats, so he is in dire need of a win this weekend because a third straight loss will not sit well with UFC brass. Indeed, Yahya could very well get released if he doesn’t show Dana White and Co. something impressive. His opponent is Steven Nguyen, who is coming off a loss at the hands of Jarno Errens in his own promotional debut way back in March 2024.

Interest Level: 7/10

In the co-main event, Yan — a former Bantamweight roost-ruler — will attempt to get back into the championship mix by securing his third straight win. Currently ranked No. 3 in the division, Yan felt he was wrongfully passed over for a rematch against current division kingpin, Merab Dvalishvili, who will face Cory Sandhagen later this year. Nevertheless, “No Mercy” is determined to get what he feels is rightfully his with an impressive win over McGhee, who is currently on a six-fight win streak. “The Maniac” is perfect (4-0) under UFC’s banner, and is sitting in the No. 12 position, eyeing a spot in the Top 10. A win over Yan would not only accomplish that, but it should slingshot him into the Top 5 since “No Mercy” is ranked No. 3.

After tearing through UFC opposition in his first four fights, the always-entertaining Shara Magomedov suffered the first and only loss of his professional career at the hands of Michael Page earlier this year. While a tough setback for “Shara Bullet,” he still has the skillset to make moves and get back on a hot run. That all begins with Marc-Andre Barriault, who snapped his three-fight skid little more than two months ago by knocking out Bruno Silva at UFC 315 (see it here).

Nikita Krylov was enjoying a nice three-fight win streak before he ran into a resurgent Dominick Reyes at UFC 314 (see that again here). Now, “The Miner” aims to start fresh with a win when he goes up against Bogdan Guskov. The hard-hitting big man stumbled out of UFC’s gates with a loss to Volkan Oezdemir, but has since won three in a row.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card:

UFC Abu Dhabi Main Event On ABC/ESPN+:

185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder

UFC Abu Dhabi Main Card On ABC/ESPN+ (3 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Movsar Evloev vs. Aaron Pico — Likely rebooked for UFC 319 (details here)
135 lbs.: Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee
185 lbs.: Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
125 lbs.: Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa (not Ramazan Temirov)
205 lbs.: Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov

UFC Abu Dhabi ‘Prelims’ Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (12 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov
170 lbs.: Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal
135 lbs.: Davey Grant vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
115 lbs.: Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci
205 lbs.: Ibo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana
145 lbs.: Mohammad Yahya vs. Steven Nguyen
265 lbs.: Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

LIVE! Stream UFC Abu Dhabi On ESPN+

MIDDLEWEIGHT MAYHEM! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” this Sat. night (July 26, 2025) with UFC Abu Dhabi. That’s where former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, collides with red-hot submission specialist, Reinier de Ridder, in a fast-paced main event mashup scheduled for five, five-minute rounds. In UFC Abu Dhabi’s co-main event, former 135-pound titleholder, Petr Yan, locks horns with once-beaten bantamweight bruiser, Marcus McGhee, with a spot in the division title chase up for grabs.

Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Abu Dhabi fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ABC/ESPN (simulcast on ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET.

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Abu Dhabi: “Whittaker vs. de Ridder” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.