The principle card for
#UFCAbuDhabi is about!!!@VisitAbuDhabi
| @InAbuDhabi
|
#InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/yUK7VdaOAc— danawhite (@danawhite)
Might 29, 2024
The
Final Preventing Championship has put collectively a beast of a
essential card for its return to Abu Dhabi this fall.
On Wednesday, the group introduced
the total five-fight slate for the primary card of
UFC on ABC 7. The fights might be held on the Etihad Area in
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 3. Headlining the cardboard
would be the beforehand booked bantamweight showdown of Cory
Sandhagen vs. Umar
Nurmagomedov. Moreover, the UFC confirmed the bantamweight
battle between Marlon Vera
and Deiveson
Figueiredo. Three different newly launched matchups will spherical out
the billing.
Within the co-headliner spot, Nick Diaz
(26-10, 2 NC) will make his return to the Octagon within the
welterweight division. The 40-year-old Cesar
Gracie Combat Crew staple will stand throughout the cage from
Vicente
Luque in a five-round affair. This might be Diaz’ first struggle
since dealing with Robbie
Lawler at UFC 266 in 2021, and solely his third look within the
final 10 years. With resolution losses to Carlos
Condit and Georges St.
Pierre in 2012 and 2013, respectively, Diaz’ lone extra
bout got here in opposition to Anderson
Silva at UFC 183 in what become a no contest when each
fighters failed post-fight drug exams. The previous Strikeforce champ has not received since defeating B.J. Penn at UFC
137 in 2011.
Brazil’s Luque has struggled as of late as effectively, though he did
get his hand raised as soon as in 2023. In his final 4 outings, Luque
was punched out by Joaquin
Buckley and Geoff Neal,
whereas dropping a choice to Belal
Muhammad. Interspersed between these losses was a five-round
conquer Rafael dos
Anjos. As considered one of seven 170-pounders with at the very least 15 wins in
the UFC, Luque holds the No. 2 spot for finishes on the division
with 13, whereas trailing Matt Brown’s
15.
Additional down the cardboard, Tony
Ferguson (25-10) will make what the UFC referred to as his probably
final look on the age of 40 when he fights fellow growing old vet
Michael
Chiesa (16-7). The 2 welterweights have misplaced their final
mixed 10 fights, with Ferguson on a record-tying winless streak
of seven whereas Chiesa has dropped three in a row. Earlier than dropping
seven consecutive outings, Ferguson amassed a win streak of 12 that
included 9 stoppages whereas beating names together with Anthony
Pettis, dos Anjos and Donald
Cerrone. His opponent Chiesa’s longest victorious stretch in
the UFC got here when he took out Condit, Diego
Sanchez, dos Anjos and Neil Magny to
earn a crack at Luque, solely to get tapped within the first spherical with a
brabo choke.
Lastly, strawweights will take the cage as Mackenzie
Dern (13-5) throws down with Lupita
Godinez (12-4) in matchup with top-10 ramifications. Vaunted
grappler Dern will attempt to flip issues round after falling quick in
back-to-back matchups in opposition to Jessica
Andrade and Amanda
Lemos. Whereas she has not landed one since armbarring Nina Nunes in
2021, Dern nonetheless holds the UFC strawweight document for probably the most
submissions (4). Godinez noticed her four-fight win streak come to a
grinding halt in opposition to Virna
Jandiroba in March. With
26 takedowns landed in her 115-pound tenure, Godinez is nice
for the third-most within the division behind Claudia
Gadelha (36) and Carla
Esparza (45).
