The UFC has announced a return to the Middle East for a regular mid-fall stop.
UFC 294 will take place on October 21 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the promotion announced early Thursday. No matchups have been announced for the card, but historically the UFC has many fighters from this side of the world hoping for a spot on the show in the United Arab Emirates.
UFC 294 will be the 18th UFC event in Abu Dhabi, although a dozen of them were part of pandemic-era shows the company is setting up in a bubble capacity on “Fight Island” due to COVID-19 from July 2020 to January 2021 had.
The UFC held three shows in eight days at the Etihad Arena in January 2021 in front of a limited number of fans. Then, in October 2021, UFC 267 landed at the venue with a light heavyweight title fight and Glover Teixeira’s submission of Jan Blachowicz to win the belt.
This card also featured Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev. Makhachev returned for UFC 280 last October and won the Lightweight title with an assist from Charles Oliveira.
Watch the history of the events of the UFC in Abu Dhabi below.
Visit the MMA Junkie event hub for more information on the map UFC294.
UFC 112: Invincible
Date: April 10, 2010
Venue: Concert Arena, Yas Island
Participation: 11.008
Remarks: Anderson Silva made a unanimous decision by Demian Maia to defend his middleweight title in the main event. In the co-feature, Frankie Edgar ended BJ Penn’s easy run to win the title with a unanimous decision.
UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson
Date: April 11, 2014
Venue: you arena
Participation: 7,963
Remarks: Roy Nelson defeated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event. The card was a rarity in that it featured only eight fights, the first of which ended in a no contest between Rani Yahya and Johnny Bedford.
UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier
Date: September 7, 2019
Venue: The arena on Yas Island
Participation: Not announced
Remarks: Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov sent Dustin Poirier to defend his title in the main event in the third round.
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal
Date: July 12, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island Bubble)
Remarks: The UFC’s first event in its “Fight Island” bubble saw three title fights: Kamaru Usman defended the welterweight belt with a unanimous victory over headlining rival Jorge Masvidal. In the co-main event, Alexander Volkanovski defeated Max Holloway by split decision in a rematch to retain the featherweight title. And Petr Yan defeated Jose Aldo by a TKO in the fifth round to win the vacant bantamweight title.
UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige
Date: July 16, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Remarks: Calvin Kattar made a unanimous decision from Dan Ige in the main event. The main card on ESPN featured five straight unanimous decisions.
UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs Benavidez 2
Date: July 19, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island Bubble)
Remarks: In the headliner, Deiveson Figueiredo choked Joseph Benavidez in a rematch to win the vacant flyweight title.
UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till
Date: July 26, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Remarks: Former Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker surpassed Darren Till in the main event. The card also featured a split decision win for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua over Brazilian legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and a first-round submission win for former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum over Alexander Gustafsson.
UFC 253: Adesanya vs Costa
Date: September 27, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Remarks: Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya beat Paulo Costa in the second round of Main Event. In the co-feature, Jan Blachowicz won the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round TKO of Dominick Reyes.
UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana
Date: October 4, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Remarks: Former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm shut out Irena Aldana on the scorecards in the main event, which marked the first time women had led a UFC card in Abu Dhabi.
UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen
Date: October 11, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island Bubble)
Remarks: Cory Sandhagen knocked out Marlon Moraes with a spinning wheel kick in the second round of main event. The card contained seven decisions and six knockouts.
UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Korean Zombie
Date: October 18, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Remarks: Brian Ortega swept away the scorecards against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in the main event.
UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje
Date: October 24, 2020
Venue: you forum
Participation: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Remarks: In an easy headliner unification fight, champion Khabib Nurmagomedov choked interim defending champion Justin Gaethje to sleep in the second round. Additionally, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker surpassed Jared Cannonier in the co-main event.
UFC on ABC: Holloway vs Kattar
Date: January 16, 2021
Venue: Etihad Arena
Participation: 2,000
Remarks: Former featherweight champion Max Holloway put down an all-timer of a conspicuous clinic against Calvin Kattar. He won by two 50-43 points and an almost unheard of 50-42. The card featured seven decisions and three knockouts.
UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny
Date: January 20, 2021
Venue: Etihad Arena
Participation: 2,000
Remarks: Michael Chiesa passed Neil Magny in the welterweight main event.
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2
Date: January 24, 2021
Venue: Etihad Arena
Participation: 2,600
Remarks: Dustin Poirier avenged a loss to Conor McGregor years ago with a second-round TKO in the headliner. In the co-feature, former Bellator Champion Michael Chandler knocked out Dan Hooker for a $50,000 bonus.
UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Teixeira
Date: October 30, 2021
Venue: Etihad Arena
Participation: 10.171
Remarks: For the first time in 10 years, an event with a UFC number was not a pay-per-view. In the headliner, Glover Teixeira submitted Jan Blachowicz to win the light heavyweight title. In the co-feature, Petr Yan bested Cory Sandhagen in a Fight of the Night winner to win the interim bantamweight belt.
UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev
Date: October 22, 2022
Venue: Etihad Arena
Participation: 13,400
Remarks: In the main event, Islam Makhachev submitted former champion Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight title. In the co-feature, Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight belt with a second-round TKO against former champion TJ Dillashaw.
Source : sports.yahoo.com