UFC Tonight: What Time Does The UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Start?
The UFC Abu Dhabi fight card goes down today at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main event of the UFC Fight Night card features a middleweight matchup between former UFC champion Robert Whittaker and the fast-rising contender Reinier de Ridder. The co-main event of the UFC on ABC card is a bantamweight bout between ex-UFC champ Petr Yan and the surging Marcus McGhee.
The UFC Abu Dhabi main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN.
Below, we look at details for the top two fight and the start time for each portion of the UFC Abu Dhabi fight card.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Date, Time, Location, How To Watch Or Stream
Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
Location: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Main Card Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC
Preliminary Card Start Time: Noon ET on ESPN, ESPN+
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Main Card
Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder - Middleweight
Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee - Bantamweight
Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Marc-André Barriault - Middleweight
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa - Flyweight
Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov - Light heavyweight
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Preliminary Card
Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov - Bantamweight
Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal Miranda - Welterweight
Davey Grant vs. Da'Mon Blackshear - Bantamweight
Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci - Strawweight
İbo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana - Light heavyweight
Mohammad Yahya vs. Steven Nguyen - Featherweight
Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha - Heavyweight
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Main Event Preview: Robert Whittaker Vs. Reinier De Ridder
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Robert Whittaker of New Zealand and ... More Reinier de Ridder of The Netherlands face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
Whittaker (26-8) is the No. 5 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. Whittaker is 15-4 with the UFC since June 2014. His only losses have come to Israel Adesanya, Dricus du Plessis, and Khamzat Chimaev. Adesanya is a former UFC middleweight champ. Du Plessis is the current UFC 185-pound champion, and Chimaev is scheduled to face Du Plessis in a title fight at UFC 319 in August. In short, the 34-year-old is the gate keeper to the elite of the division.
Whittaker is coming off a nasty submission loss to Chimaev at UFC 308 in October 2024.
De Ridder (20-2) has been climbing the UFC middleweight ladder since he joined the promotion after holding the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight titles. The 34-year-old is No. 13 in the UFC 185-pound division. He is 3-0 with the promotion with stoppage wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal. His win over Nickal was his most recent victory, coming in May of this year.
When the betting odds opened for this matchup, Whittaker was a -145 favorite over the +120 De Ridder. That betting line has held.
With fight night approaching, Whittaker has picked up 51 percent of the bets, while De Ridder has earned 54 percent of the handle.
There are a couple of burning questions about this fight to ponder before making a pick. Has a career of facing the best of the best at middleweight caught up with Robert Whittaker leading to a decline in his skills? Is Reinier de Ridder ready to face someone as well-rounded as Robert Whittaker?
We won't know the answers to those questions until after Saturday's fight. What we do know is that Whittaker is one of the best middleweight fighters in the history of the UFC and that he is the more well-rounded fighter in this matchup.
The betting pick is Whittaker to beat De Ridder via decision.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Co-Main Event Preview: Petr Yan Vs. Marcus McGhee
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Petr Yan of Russia and Marcus McGhee face ... More off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan looks to hold onto his No. 3 ranking when he faces the No. 12 ranked Marcus McGhee in the co-main event of Saturday's UFC Abu Dhabi fight card.
Yan is 3-4 dating back to his March 2021 title-losing DQ setback to Aljamain Sterling. However, the ex-champ has back-to-back wins heading into Saturday's fight card. As for McGhee, he is 4-0 in the UFC and looking to make a move against a former titleholder.
When the betting line opened for this 135-pound scrap, Yan was a -325 favorite over the +275 McGhee, those odds have shifted. Today, Yan is listed at -400, while McGhee is +310.
McGhee has 68 percent of the bets for this contest, while 52 percent of the money is on Yan.
McGhee has struggled with leg kicks, expect Yan to look to land those kicks as soon as this matchup begins. The pick is Yan to win via decision.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Preview: Shara Magomedov Vs. Marc-André Barriault
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Shara Magomedov of Russia and Marc-Andre ... More Barriault of Canada face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
We have a middleweight matchup between two fighters trying to find a spot in the division. In one corner we have Shara Magomedov, who the UFC seems to favor, but who had been handed some friendly matchmaking in his first four UFC fights. He won all of those bouts, with two victories coming via knockout. In his most recent outing, Magomedov dropped a decision to the more experienced Michael 'Venom' Page. As for Barriault, a member of the UFC since 2019, he has never won more than two fights in a row with the promotion. Barriault is coming off a May knockout win over Bruno Silva.
When the betting odds opened for this fight, Magomedov was a massive -455 favorite over the +340 Barriault. That line has shifted more in favor of Magomedov. Today, he is listed at -650, while Barriault is +475.
With the lopsided odds, 59 percent of the bets have been on Barriault, but even with the lines being what they are, Magomedov has 79 percent of the bets.
Magomedov is the better overall striker in this contest. With that, look for Magomedov, who also has the better chin, to win. Barriault has been knocked out in his past two losses, look for Magomedov to make that three on Saturday.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Preview: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Asu Almabayev Vs. Jose Ochoa
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Asu Almabayev of Kazakstan and Jose Ochoa ... More of Peru face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The flyweight matchup between Asu Almabayev and Jose Ochoa came together late. Almabayev was initially booked against Ramazan Temirov, but a failed drug test forced Temirov off the card.
When the betting line opened for this late replacement contest, it was a pick 'em with both fighters listed at -110. Today, it's still a pick 'em, but Almabayev is -115 to Ochoa's -105.
Almabayev has 74 percent of the bets and 51 percent of the handle.
The pick is Almabayev to win via decision.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Preview: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Nikita Krylov Vs. Bogdan Guskov
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Nikita Krylov of Ukraine and Bogdan ... More Guskov of Uzbekistan face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Opening the UFC Abu Dhabi main card is a light heavyweight matchup between Nikita Krylov and Bogdan Guskov. Both men are ranked inside the top 15 of the 205-pound division, with Krylov at No. 10 and Guskov at No. 13.
When the betting line opened, Krylov was -185 to Guskov's +150. Today, Krylov is -200 and Guskov is listed at +165.
Bettors are favoring Guskov, who has earned 79 percent of the bets and 81 percent of the handle.
The pick is Guskov to win via knockout.
*Odds via BetMGM
Stay tuned for more coverage from the UFC Abu Dhabi fight card. Including live UFC Abu Dhabi results, reactions, recaps and video highlights during tonight's event.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Islam Makhachev reacts to Ilia Topuria taking No. 1 pound-for-pound spot in UFC rankings
A post shared by UFC Eurasia (@ufceurasia) Islam Makhachev is unbothered by Ilia Topuria overtaking him in the official UFC rankings. For many years, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) made it clear he was striving to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He spent a solid chunk of time holding down the position during his dominant and record-setting reign as lightweight champion, but now that he's moved on from the division and is currently without a belt, that opened the door for someone else. Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) walked through that door at UFC 317 in June, when the former featherweight champion moved up in weight and knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound belt left behind by Makhachev as he jumps divisions in his own career and readies to challenge welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena later this year. With Topuria being a hot item in the sport and becoming the first to claim belts in two divisions while undefeated, he is now ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound on the UFC's official rankings. This doesn't frustrate Makhachev, he said, because he thinks it's all designed to build toward an eventual fight between "El Matador" and himself. "Well, it's marketing," Makhachev told UFC Eurasia during Saturday's UFC on ABC 9 event in Abu Dhabi (H/T: Championship Rounds on X). "They did it on purpose for hype, to hype up the fight. People already have interest in this fight. They're doing the right thing. We will fight for first place.' Islam Makhachev reacts to Ilia Topuria taking his spot as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world"Well, it's marketing. They're doing it on purpose to promote this fight... So they do it right, and we'll be fighting for the #1 spot in the rankings." 👀🎥 @ufc Whether all of this is building toward a matchup between Makhachev and Topuria remains to be seen. Topuria has expressed a desire to follow Makhachev up to 170 pounds and attempt to become the first in UFC history to claim titles in three separate weight classes. UFC CEO Dana White recently said the super fight could materialize if each man wins one more fight. There are a number of potential contenders in play for Topuria's first defense at 155 pounds, including Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, Arman Tsarukyan or a rematch with BMF champ Max Holloway. Makhachev, meanwhile, will attempt to join the group of 10 previous fighters to capture belts in multiple weight classes when he faces Jack Della Maddalena, which he said is "90 percent" on the way to being finalized and announced.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Robert Whittaker 'butt hurt' after UFC on ABC 9 split decision loss to Reinier de Ridder
Robert Whittaker thought he did enough to win against Reinier de Ridder in the UFC on ABC 9 main event, but two judges disagreed. Former middleweight champion Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) suffered a split decision defeat to de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, marked the first time in more than 11 years that he's lost consecutive fights inside the octagon. It was a tense battle over the course of 25 minutes, with de Ridder landing a lot of powerful shots and finding some success with his grappling, while Whittaker was consistent and had the biggest moment of the fight with a thrilling knockdown and near-finish in Round 3. Ultimately it wasn't enough to sway all the scorecards in his favor, and although Whittaker accepted his reality in the immediate aftermath, he expressed that his immediate feeling were that he should've won. "I'm pretty butt hurt to be honest," Whittaker said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping inside the octagon. "He did what he said he was going to do. I thought I ticked all the boxes, but his pressure was a lot. Mate, it was just a lot of pressure. He has a lot of skillsets. I mentioned it before, he's got a particular way of fighting. Couldn't really throw too many spammers. He got it off more times than not and walked away the winner. Good on him." Whittaker, 34, is left in a curious spot in the aftermath of UFC on ABC 9. It's his first time since moving up to middleweight more than a decade ago that he's dropped consecutive bouts, with this result following a Submission of the Year defeat to Khamzat Chimaev in October. Prior to UFC on ABC 9, Whittaker voiced his intention to make one more run at the 185-pound belt before retirement. Although there's an argument to be made he deserved the win over de Ridder, his record shows a loss and he now faces some difficult questions. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Robert Whittaker 'butt hurt' after UFC Abu Dhabi split decision loss
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Robert Whittaker 'butt hurt' after UFC on ABC 9 split decision loss to Reinier de Ridder
Robert Whittaker thought he did enough to win against Reinier de Ridder in the UFC on ABC 9 main event, but two judges disagreed. Former middleweight champion Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) suffered a split decision defeat to de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, marked the first time in more than 11 years that he's lost consecutive fights inside the octagon. It was a tense battle over the course of 25 minutes, with de Ridder landing a lot of powerful shots and finding some success with his grappling, while Whittaker was consistent and had the biggest moment of the fight with a thrilling knockdown and near-finish in Round 3. Ultimately it wasn't enough to sway all the scorecards in his favor, and although Whittaker accepted his reality in the immediate aftermath, he expressed that his immediate feeling were that he should've won. "I'm pretty butt hurt to be honest," Whittaker said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping inside the octagon. "He did what he said he was going to do. I thought I ticked all the boxes, but his pressure was a lot. Mate, it was just a lot of pressure. He has a lot of skillsets. I mentioned it before, he's got a particular way of fighting. Couldn't really throw too many spammers. He got it off more times than not and walked away the winner. Good on him." Whittaker, 34, is left in a curious spot in the aftermath of UFC on ABC 9. It's his first time since moving up to middleweight more than a decade ago that he's dropped consecutive bouts, with this result following a Submission of the Year defeat to Khamzat Chimaev in October. Prior to UFC on ABC 9, Whittaker voiced his intention to make one more run at the 185-pound belt before retirement. Although there's an argument to be made he deserved the win over de Ridder, his record shows a loss and he now faces some difficult questions.
