UFC Abu Dhabi Might Just Be the Most Stacked Fight Card of 2025!

Middle East Main Event

White announced that on July 26, the UFC’s annual visit to Abu Dhabi will be headlined by none other than the former middleweight champion, Robert ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker, and a surging contender in Reinier de Ridder, who’s also a former two-division titleholder at ONE Championship.

Whittaker, 34, has only lost to Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis (the former and current middleweight champion), and Khamzat Chimaev (the current No.1 contender) during his UFC stint. While many argue his best days are past him, he’s still one of the biggest threats at 185 lbs, and a main event player worthy of topping any fight card.

For Ridder, he’s won 3 straight since joining the UFC, including a recent demolition of Bo Nickal as a +295 underdog to mark himself as the newcomer to watch in the middleweight weight class.

Don’t waste time — check out BetUS’s exclusive Fight Night betting odds!

UFC rumors stemming from White’s comments have tipped this fight to be a No.1 contender eliminator for Ridder. So, should the Dutchman impress us once again, UFC gold might be awaiting in the near future.

Coming back with a BANG 🔥@RobWhittakerMMA vs @ReinierdeRidder is the #UFCAbuDhabi main event!#InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/EWFeVBV6A8

— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2025

UFC Abu Dhabi: Stacked!

Despite Whittaker and De Ridder being a fight announcement we can celebrate, it wasn’t a surprise, as we kind of already knew the headline for UFC Abu Dhabi. However, the other fights announced have left us in awe…

A five-round main event between the undefeated Movsar Evloev and UFC debutant Aaron Pico will allow the winner to face the 145lb GOAT, Alexander Volkanovski, should he get through Yair Rodriguez (he will).

Pico’s career is well-documented, as he’s arguably one of the best talents to have ever competed in the UFC octagon. Well, that’s about to change, and should he snatch Evloev’s unbeaten record, big things await this featherweight newcomer!

Movsar Evloev welcomes Aaron Pico to the UFC in a FIVE-ROUND co-main event fight at #UFCAbuDhabi 🔥👊 \ pic.twitter.com/DznYpxuFS7

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 18, 2025

Are you not entertained?

The always popular ‘Bullet,’ Shara Magomedov, returns from his first loss against Marc-Andre Barriault in a middleweight banger!

How about Petr Yan, the former bantamweight champ, going against the No.13 Marcus McGhee, a surging contender who has won four straight since joining the UFC in 2023, including three stoppage victories inside the distance!

This is one of those UFC fights that truly presents a case of veteran versus prospect. With Merab Dvalishvili seeking new opponents to challenge for his 135-pound title, a standout win from either man could propel them into the title picture.

#UFCAbuDhabi is one of the best Fight Night cards of all time! 🇦🇪🔥 pic.twitter.com/O6Vu74kSuA

— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) June 18, 2025

Wait, There’s More…

Oh, it doesn’t stop there…

The always popular, or in some cases, not-so-popular Bryce Mitchell returns, and he’ll square off against the savvy skills of Said Nurmagomedov. The former will make his 135lb debut after a failed run at 45, but his No.16-ranked Russian opponent won’t be a simple introduction to the bantamweight weight class.

Elsewhere, we have top-ranked flyweights Asu Almabayev and Ramazan Temirov going head-to-head, light heavyweight brawlers Ibo Aslan and Billy Elekana, Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov, and Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci.

And to remind you, this is a UFC fight night event! The calibre of top-ranked opponents facing off on this card is unreal, and although I know some bushes are rustled by the opinion that the UFC is handing the Middle East a pay-per-view worthy UFC schedule, I’m certainly not going to be one of the fans to complain about it, and better yet, we still have another 3-4 fights to be announced!

Your official #UFCAbuDhabi main card 🤩

Get tickets 👉 https://t.co/ojDTmVzleU@VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/ZDPkQeLCsm

— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2025

Best UFC fighters of the year on the same card? Arguably… Best Fight Night card of 2025? Easily!