Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Abu Dhabi TODAY (Sat., July 25, 2026) to stage UFC Abu Dhabi from inside Etihad Arena, Fight Island, UAE featuring a Light Heavyweight fight between Magomed Ankalaev taking on Bogdan Guskov. In the co-main event, which will stream on Paramount+, Steve Erceg will battle Ramazan Temirov in a Flyweight bout. What’s Hot: UFC ABU DHABI CHEAT SHEET What UFC event is on tonight? UFC Abu Dhabi: “Ankalaev vs. Guskov” Who is fighting tonight at UFC Abu Dhabi? Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov Light Heavyweight fight is the five-round main event. What time does UFC Abu Dhabi start? TODAY (Sat., July 25, 2026), beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Paramount+. Where will UFC Abu Dhabi take place? Paycom Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. How can I watch UFC Abu Dhabi? Paramount+ “Prelims” undercard matches are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET on Paramount+, followed by the remaining main card balance on Paramount+ at 12 p.m. ET. How do I bet on UFC Abu Dhabi? Checkout the latest lines right here and bet at FanDuel Sportsbook. Where can I get UFC Abu Dhabi updates and results? Get full UFC Abu Dhabi play-by-play updates and live coverage here! The last time we saw Magomed Ankalaev, he was coughing up his UFC Light Heavyweight strap to Alex Pereira after “Poatan” knocked him out in the very first round at UFC 320. While he wanted nothing more than a trilogy fight against Pereira right away seeing as he he had just defeated him to win the strap seven months prior, he was never afforded the chance and Pereira ultimately went on to vacate the belt in order to move up to Heavyweight. Currently ranked No. 1 in the division, Ankalaev is really just one more win away from earning the chance to getting his title back. While a win over Khalil Rountree Jr., who is ranked No. 5 in the division, would’ve made a better case for him, taking out Guskov might accomplish the feat either way. But it has to be impressive because a lackluster win might prompt UFC matchmakers to look elsewhere when it comes to awarding the next title fight at 205 pounds. As for Guskov, he has the opportunity of a lifetime to leapfrog everyone if he can upset the No. 1 ranked fighter in the weight class. Currently sitting in the No. 10 spot, the hard-hitting Uzbek has been on quite a roll as of late, going unbeaten in his last five fights to to the tune of a 4-0-1 record, with his last outing resulting in a majority draw against Jan Blachowicz. A convincing and dominant win over Ankalaev could very well put him ahead of the rest of the division and on the fast track to his first-ever title fight. That’s why when opportunities like these knock, you have to answer because title fights are hard to earn. This way, he saves himself potential years of trying to work his way up. That said, taking out Ankalaev is a tall order to say the least because only two men (Pereira and Paul Craig) have ever managed to do so. Upset looming? Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries: Anakalev was initially slated to face Khalil Rountree Jr. before “War Horse” was forced to bow out because of an injury. That’s when Guskov agreed to step in on just a few weeks notice. A Bantamweight bout between Umar Nurmagomedov vs. David Martinez was scheduled for the event before Martinez withdrew from the bout with an undisclosed injury. With no opponent found to replace him, Nurmagomedov was taken off the card. New Blood: Abdul Hussein will bring his eight-fight win streak with him to the Octagon to face off against Cody Gibson in a Bantamweight bout. Interestingly enough, Hussein is coming off a first-round knockout win over former UFC veteran, Tyson Nam. Of his 15 wins, Hussein has won 14 of them by way of stoppage. As for Gibson, he is in need of a big win after losing two straight. Magomed Tuchalov will make his UFC debut opposite Brendson Ribeiro, who has lost three straight fights. Tuchalov made his pro debut a little under two years ago, and has racked up an impressive 5-0 record, all stoppages with three of them coming in the very first round. Muhammad Said will bring his undefeated record of 9-0 to the Octagon with him when he makes his UFC debut opposite Dustin Jacoby. Said has won eight of his nine by way of stoppage, making him a legit threat to get in and out while inflicting as much damage as possible. He has a tough matchup against Jacoby, who is on a three-fight win streak, all via knockout. Abubakar Vagaev will finally get his chance on the big stage after fighting professionally for 14 years. In that time he has competed 28 times and secured a record of 24-4. For his first challenge under the UFC banner, he will battle Saygid Izagakhmaev, who suffered a split-decision defeat at the hands of Nicolas Dalby in his UFC debut. Magomed Zaynukov and Damian Rzepecki are two newcomers who will face off against one another on the main card in a Lightweight bout. Rzepecki is undefeated at 10-0 and started his pro MMA career with nine straight stoppage wins. Zaynukov is also undefeated with a record of 8-0, so it’s a bit odd to see two undefeated newcomers taking on one another. How The ‘Prelims’ Look: Valter Walker has been stealing headlines with some very brash comments towards several prominent UFC Heavyweights, including none other than former division champion, Jon Jones (see them here). That’s a lot of big talk for someone fighting in the undercard of a Fight Night event. Nevertheless, Walker has been getting the job done as of late by winning four straight fights via first-round submission, all via heel hook. He will look to keep that momentum going when he faces off against Thomas Petersen, who has alternated wins and losses throughout his UFC career to the tune of a 3-3 record Santiago Ponzinibbio at one point in his UFC career had racked up an impressive run of seven straight wins, which was putting him into contention for a possible title fight. When he had his streak snapped by Jingliang Li in early 2021 his career began to go downhill. Following that defeat, he has gone 3-5 while losing three of his last four fights. It’s a drastic downfall for “Argentine Dagger,” who finds himself in a must-win fight against Sam Patterson, who is coming off a tough loss against Michael Page, which snapped his four-fight UFC win streak. Nurullo Aliev will look to improve on his undefeated record of 14-0 while racking up his fourth straight win under the UFC banner when he takes on Mike Davis, who is 5-1 in his last six UFC fights, with his most recent win coming against Mitch Ramirez over a year ago. Who Needs A Win Badly: Ismael Bonfim is currently riding a two-fight losing streak and has lost three of his last four outings inside the Octagon. He is in desperate need of a win at this event because he hasn’t really done much of note to justify the promotion keeping him around should he lose his third straight. He will take on Axel Sosa, who threw up a dud in his UFC debut against Mason Jones, suffering the first defeat of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Interest Level: 5.5/10: Erceg — a former Flyweight title contender — seems to have found his groove against after suffering three straight losses in 2025 by winning his last two fights against Ode Osbourne and Tim Elliott. “Astro Boy” desperately wants to get back to a title fight, and his next hurdle comes in the form of Temirov, who is on a five-year unbeaten streak having won his last 11 fights. Islam Dulatov kept his finish streak alive at 12 after making an impress UFC debut opposite Adam Fugitt a year ago thanks to a first-round knockout win (see it here). “The Ripper” is an exciting prospect looking to make a name for himself in the stacked Lightweight division. His next challenge will be against a fighter who is on quite a bit of a slump, as Wellington Turman has lost three straight fights. One more defeat and it could very well be the last we see of him inside the Octagon. Tyrell Fortune had himself a successful UFC debut earlier this year by defeating Marcin Tybura via unanimous decision. Now, the former Bellator MMA big man will look to make it two straight when he battles Rizvan Kuniev, who secured his first win inside the Octagon by defeating Jailton Almeida. Prior to that, he came up short in his debut against Curtis Blaydes. Enjoy the fights! Full UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: UFC Abu Dhabi Main Event On Paramount+: 205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov (not Khalil Rountree Jr.) UFC Abu Dhabi Main Card On Paramount+ (3 p.m. ET): 125 lbs.: Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov 265 lbs.: Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune 170 lbs.: Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman 155 lbs.: Magomed Zaynukov vs. Damian Rzepecki 170 lbs.: Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. Abubakar Vagaev UFC Abu Dhabi ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+ (12 p.m. ET): 265 lbs.: Valter Walker vs. Thomas Petersen 155 lbs.: Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola 205 lbs.: Brendson Ribeiro vs. Magomed Tuchalov 155 lbs.: Nurullo Aliev vs. Mike Davis 170 lbs.: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sam Patterson 205 lbs.: Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammad Said 135 lbs.: Abdul Hussein vs. Cody Gibson *Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.* To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Abu Dhabi: “Ankalaev vs. Guskov” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.