The countdown is on for a knockout night in Abu Dhabi: UFC Fight Night
If you've been itching to head out, this is one event that's guaranteed to stir up the energy.
This year's card is headlined by a massive middleweight clash, as No.5 ranked Robert Whittaker steps into the Octagon against Reinier de Ridder.
The Dutch star, who's been steadily rising through the ranks, will go toe-to-toe with one of the division's most seasoned fighters.
Oh and the undercard is stacked alright, here are the matches you can catch:
Sharaputdin Magomedov vs Marc-André Barriault (Middleweight): This could end up being the fight of the night
Ibo Aslan vs Billy Elekana (Light Heavyweight): This one's got KO written all over it.
Ramazan Temirov vs Asu Almabayev (Flyweight): Expect speed, precision and fireworks.
Doors open from 5.30pm, giving fans plenty of time to grab their seats and soak up the build-up before fists fly.
UFC® Fight Night: Whittaker vs. De Ridder marks the 21st UFC event in Abu Dhabi and if that tells you anything, it's that the capital has become a mainstay in MMA's global journey.
Abu Dhabi continues to be UFC's most consistent host outside North America, with the emirate playing a central role in the sport's international expansion.
The fight night is part of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week – a seven-day takeover that transforms the city into a hotspot for all things UFC.
From fan events and live shows to the high-energy UFC Fan Experience at Yas Mall, the build-up brings plenty of reasons to join the fun even before fight night arrives.
And it doesn't stop there.
Abu Dhabi's calendar is stacked with big-name gigs (we're talking Jennifer Lopez, Scorpions and Benson Boone), major sporting moments (hello, F1) and loads of festivals.
With so much on offer, the city has firmly carved its place as a go-to destination for global entertainment. From F1 races to MMA fight nights, the variety on show means there's something for every kind of fan.
As for tickets, prices start at Dhs195, with various tiers available depending on how close to the action you want to be.
For those after the full VIP treatment, UFCVIP.com has premium packages that include backstage access and athlete meet-and-greets.
Ready to watch the fights live? Book your tickets via etihadarena.ae.
From Dhs195. Sat Jul 26, from 5.30pm. Etihad Arena. visitabudhabi.ae
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Incredible reason England Lionesses hero missed Downing Street party and open top bus tour revealed
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LIONESSES star Jess Carter missed the team's Downing Street visit for a shock reason. The 27-year-old centre-back was one of England's key players at the Euros, starting in all but one match en route to glory. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The Lionesses visited Downing Street on their return home Credit: Alamy 4 Jess Carter was missing from the celebrations Credit: AP After beating Spain in a dramatic penalty shootout on Sunday night, the squad return home to a hero's welcome. They were immediately invited to Downing Street for a party, posing outside the famous No10 door on the red carpet. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock hosted the team as they sipped on drinks in the garden. But eagle-eyed fans noticed that Carter was surprisingly missing from the bash. It has now been revealed that the defender had to fly back to the US to prepare for her next club match. Carter plays for New York side Gotham FC and they face the Chicago Stars on Saturday. The club were harshly unwilling to give her any extra time off to celebrate and she was summoned back for training. It means Carter will also miss the open-top bus parade on Tuesday afternoon. Lionesses Anna Moorhouse and Esme Morgan also play for sides in the US. But they were allowed to stay in England to bask in the glory. Inside Lionesses' boozy Euro 2025 celebrations as stars party with pizzas, beers and loved ones after win over Spain It comes after Carter battled racist abuse that she received online during the Euros. After victory over Spain, she said: "I was super scared of playing the final for the first time in my life. 'When I woke up in the morning and saw my team and saw the support I had - and the belief I had from my team-mates, manager and family - I could come out and give my all. That's all you can do. 'It's incredible, the fans have been incredible all tournament and we couldn't have done this without them. We're so grateful for them and this moment. "Giving up is not in our DNA. We have stuck together from minute one. I couldn't be prouder of this team and I'm so honoured to be proud of it. 'I'm more disappointed in my previous performances than anyone else.' Remaining in Downing Street, the Cabinet Office is set to reward legends Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly in the next honours list. Leah Williamson's OBE may be upgraded to a CBE and Dutch boss Sarina Wiegman is in line for an honorary damehood. 4 Carter has had to go back to the US for her next club match Credit: Getty
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
UFC legend Brittney Palmer turns heads in backyard after going completely topless as fans gasp ‘lucky sun'
BRITTNEY Palmer has wowed fans with a sizzling social media snap. The UFC legend left little to the imagination in a new Instagram post. 3 3 Palmer posted a picture while out sunbathing with no top on. She only wore bikini bottoms and a straw hat. Only a sun emoji covered her up while she laid out in the sun. Fans went wild for this new snap and shared their love in the comments. "Hotttt," one fan said with fire emojis. "This is how to get a proper tan," another fan said. "Lucky sun," a third fan said. "Gorgeous," a fourth fan said. "I love you Brittney," a fifth fan said. The 37-year-old Palmer worked as an octagon girl for the UFC before retiring in 2023. Brittney Palmer stuns in tiny UFC 291 octagon girl outfit and leaves fans 'amazed' by backstage antics She was a five-time winner of Ring Girl of the Year. She posts plenty of snaps to her 1.1 million followers on Instagram. Her incredible physique is commonly displayed in those posts. Previously this month she posted a picture of herself in a tiny leopard-print bikini. She also rocked a pair of sunglasses in the post. "Grr," she captioned the post with a leopard emoji. Palmer went on to become an artist after retiring from the UFC. Her paintings have been bought by big names like Connor McGregor and Lady Gaga. Palmer also runs an OnlyFans page.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
Racing in the rain is a heady spectacle but tragic history at Spa weighs heavy
Having been a mainstay in Formula One since the championship's inaugural world championship year in 1950, no one is taken by surprise by the capricious nature of the weather at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Yet once again this weekend it was the climate that held court at the Belgian Grand Prix, leaving the sport divided over a circuit where the appeal of racing in the rain on a track of such fearsome risk and reward makes for difficult decisions. The race on Sunday, ultimately a somewhat pedestrian affair, was won by McLaren's Oscar Piastri after the start had been delayed for an hour and 20 minutes owing to the rain that swept in across the Ardennes mountains. This was not an unusual occurrence. In 2021 the meeting here ended in farce as all but two laps were completed behind a safety car when an afternoon deluge continued until a 'result' was declared, as unedifying and insulting to the fans as it was. A midsummer day in July guarantees nothing in Spa. Cycling to the track on Sunday morning there were vast stair rods of precipitation yet by the descent into Francorchamps the sun was shining again. The past is a foreign country across 10 minutes in the Ardennes. By the time the race was ready to go the weather was similarly fickle. The downpour that swamped the grid had largely stopped when the formation lap began but the circuit was still wet. The rain was not the real problem however. Spray from these ground-effect cars is huge. The regulations were designed to improve overtaking by channelling the dirty air in their wake upwards. But it also ensures that in the wet the water is similarly channelled and hurled vertically with enormous force. This spectacular plume of liquid then promptly comes down on all the following cars and makes for very low visibility. This was the problem on Sunday, not whether the tyres were able to cope with a wet track. The intermediate rubber was fine with the conditions in Spa, which did not even require the full wet tyres. Indeed of late it is almost always visibility not grip that prevents racing, suggesting full wet tyres are now all but pointless. Were they ever to be used the conditions would be such that racing would surely not commence because of visibility problems. As it was, after the delayed start, it was only seven laps in when Lewis Hamilton decided the track was already dry enough for slick tyres. He was right and the field followed him in. The reaction afterwards ranged from Max Verstappen – whose car was set up for a wet race – arguing that classic wet racing was in danger of disappearing because of the FIA's caution, to George Russell bluntly stating it would have been 'stupidity' to start on time given the conditions when the race was supposed to begin. The majority appeared to concur with Russell given Spa is such a challenging track. Quite apart from its historic legacy in the old configuration that claimed so many drivers' lives, it is still a formidable and unforgiving test. In recent years both Anthoine Hubert, in 2019, and Dilano van 't Hoff, in 2023, were killed here. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion As Charles Leclerc noted: 'On a track like this with what happened historically, I think you cannot forget about it. For that reason, I'd rather be safe than too early.' It was an opinion echoed by Fernando Alonso and Piastri among other drivers. The problem it highlighted for F1 is that many drivers and fans alike want to see racing in the rain. It is a great leveller, where mechanical and aerodynamic advantage are negated and the seat of the pants feel and touch of a driver counts for so much. The call at Spa by the FIA feels like the right one, to err on the side of safety, but as the sport heads into new regulations for 2026 it was a reminder that it might try to find a way to allow the contest everyone wants to see, even when the heavens open.
