UFC Fight Night | 27 July

A popular fan favorite, Robert Whittaker has competed in Abu Dhabi three times already but it was his most recent that really garnered attention. Meeting divisional boogeyman Khamzat Chimaev, it was another short-lived affair as Whittaker found himself tapping only three minutes into the bout.

Whittaker’s jaw was cracked and his teeth were victimized in the process, with implants later replacing his original set. Seemingly recovered from the ordeal, Whittaker finds himself in position to fend off an encroaching newcomer to the divisional top 10.

The last time Whittaker found himself in a similar spot, he took down Ikram Aliskerov in a single round. The bonus-winning performance helped prove Whittaker still has gas in the tank, even if his recent outings have shed some doubt on that.

Ultimately, “The Reaper” is still a very capable middleweight contender. His punching power is sneakily relevant at all times but Whittaker has earned the brunt of his accolades with precise, thoughtful boxing.

The popular fighter is best known for his striking but does own a background and surprisingly extensive experience in freestyle wrestling. He even qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and though he was unable to compete due to restrictions set by the UFC, it is clear Whittaker is plenty familiar with tie-ups.

Those skills have served him well over the years. An established sprawl-and-brawler, Whittaker has grown exceptionally adept at fending off takedowns and keeping things where he wants them. His takedown defense will be critically tested again when he welcomes Reinier de Ridder to Abu Dhabi.

A former two-division titlist in ONE Championship, de Ridder is a wildly experienced martial artist with a specialty in grappling. de Ridder started Judo at a young age and added Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in later years; he achieved black belts in both disciplines and has translated those skills into MMA exceptionally well.

The submission-hunting de Ridder is aggressive and creative from all positions on the mat but becomes a physical force from top position. Suffocating his opposition has value but at the end of the day de Ridder enjoys making people tap.

A finisher through and through, de Ridder is similarly persistent on the feet. A towering 6’4” (193cm) with experience in the heavyweight division, de Ridder is a monumental presence at middleweight. One would assume a mobile, rangy game from the native of the Netherlands – instead he breaks fighters down with pressure.

Make no mistake, the end of de Ridder’s range is a measure outside of his opponent’s comfort zone. But the taller man doesn’t shy from a fight, opting to push his foes back, force out mistakes, and hopefully find a way to top position. Wrestling is not the best asset of de Ridder but when he pulls all his offensive skills together, there is simply too much for his foe to worry about.

A five-round affair, this bout will trend very different in the first half to the second. Though the smaller man, Whittaker is better-conditioned and benefits from a reasonable cut to the middleweight limit. The imposing Dutchman will have early success, but may need a finish before his gas tank runs dry.

This is a meaningful litmus test for both men and Whittaker is rightfully favoured, but he will need to escape chaos before a path to victory is cleared. Ultimately, the pressure and submission threat of de Ridder stands to be a storm too torrential for Whittaker to survive.

2-3 in his last five, Petr Yan has been a streaky fighter of late. The losses, then his current win streak, were consecutive, but there’s something to be said about his elite opposition. Already owning one of the best resumes in the division, Yan took wins over Yadong Song and Deiveson Figueiredo over the course of 2024.

The wins were not without their obstacles but were much-needed as Yan embarks on another run towards the bantamweight title. Though he has already been conquered once by current champion Merab Dvalishvili, the rest of the division has not had such an easy time.

Highly regarded as a striking savant, Yan has demonstrated remarkable skills on the feet time and time again. A refined and experienced specialist, Yan has spent an abundance of time at Tiger Muay Thai and it shows.

32-years-old but deeply seasoned, Yan hasn’t been showing many new tricks in recent years but is still a force to be reckoned with. He lacks finishing ability but has tremendous timing and a deep array of weapons at his disposal.

Historically, Yan has done best in five round affairs where he has time to get rolling. A fairly cerebral fighter despite his excitable reputation, Yan has shown some difficulty getting his offense flowing in the early portions.

This hasn’t been a huge problem for him in championship/headlining bouts but this weekend will be conducted over a mere three rounds. Yan has only competed in the shorter duration twice since 2020; Yan won both by decision (against O’Malley and Yadong, respectively) but neither was an entirely impressive showing.

The popular former champion is favored this weekend but will have his hands full with a dynamic young prospect in Marcus McGhee. A quiet success story, McGhee was actually an underdog when he made his UFC debut against Journey Newson in 2023.

McGhee finished Newson and has been on a tear since. His most recent appearance saw him outpoint Jonathan Martinez, nearly doubling his output in the process. It wasn’t a flawless victory but McGhee proved himself at a high level in the biggest fight of his career; now he has to do it again.

A wildly intriguing fighter with tremendous physical assets, McGhee is not only a hard-hitting striker but a mobile and well-timed one. His speed and power combine for explosive results but it’s his timing and deceptively agile footwork that maneuver him into those big shots.

Despite the betting odds, McGhee may not match-up with Petr Yan poorly. The early minutes of this bout are opportune for McGhee to take a lead and start compiling volume. I expect these two to have high-level and tense exchanges down the stretch, but I can’t discount McGhee’s tendency to output early activity in a three-round bout.

#12 ranked McGhee has been exceeding expectations since he made his organizational debut and I like the chances of him to continue the trend. McGhee has enough power to keep Yan from overwhelming him, enough speed to land his own shots, and enough skill to keep up minute-to-minute. A fascinating affair with potential for Fight of the Night, I fully expect Marcus McGhee to make this very competitive.

The betting favorite and a regular sight on the UFC’s visit to the Middle East, Shara Magomedov is ready to regain momentum after a tough loss last time out. Michael “Venom” Page proved too speedy for him but weekend represents a golden opportunity to right the ship.

Prior to the loss, momentum was beginning to snowball in a real way for the man commonly known as Shara “Bullet”. A KO of the Year contender in 2024 stoked the flames but Magomedov’s limited approach is meeting resistance at higher echelons.

A prolific kicker, Magomedov does have legitimately stunning use of his legs. Long ranges is where he dominates, with a swift and ridiculously diverse array of kicks being launched like artillery. Magomedov’s boxing has shown limits but there is no denying his speed and superb sense of distance as a striker overall.

On the other end of the cage will be a plucky Canadian veteran with a decade of experience under his belt. Marc-Andre Barriault broke a three-fight skid in his last appearance, devastating Bruno Silva in a single round.

The new year represents a new Barriault. His losing streak was contained entirely to 2024 and 2025 has started with a successful bang. A striker by nature, “Power Bar” has been in the UFC for about six years to a 6-8 record.

Barriault is not a world-beating contender but has largely demonstrated resilience and the ability to pressure and hurt opponents even in losing efforts. Barriault is offense-minded and his other assets tend to be an afterthought as a result, but the Canadian does deserve credit for the results he produces on the front foot.

That said, he isn’t a physical specimen and trends on the slower end of the divisional rankings. Barriault will come forward, he will throw hard strikes, and perhaps most importantly he will do both at the same time.

Barriault has a chance to catch Magomedov as the Russian unloads lengthy kicks but ultimately the speed and mobility difference between these two is stark. Magomedov could realistically control this fight with footwork and long kicks tossed out as though probing jabs.

But “Bullet” typically wants more. A finisher with a sense of flair, I expect Magomedov to identify and exploit a sizable gap on the feet. Another highlight for Magomedov and the popularity of the pirate kick-starts again.

4-1 in the UFC but looking to rebound from that lone defeat, Asu Almabayev took on Manel Kape earlier this year. A clash of styles that went against Almabayev, the fight not only went against him but was a foul-filled ordeal that left an air of dissatisfaction.

Almabayev now has a chance to get back on track and establish himself as a consistent contender. The flyweight is a minuscule favorite this weekend but has proven himself over the course of a longer and better-tested career.

Hailing from Kazakhstan, Almabayev has made a name for himself as a vaunted wrestler. Takedowns drive the brunt of his success but as he has been met with stiffer competition, his skills have rounded out to match.

Almabayev is no striking specialist but he’s explosive and deceptively quick, even if he lacking power. His willingness to keep his feet moving and then dart in with attacks isn’t entirely savvy but requires a certain level of expertise, timing, and speed to keep up with.

At the end of the day, Almabayev will be looking to establish the threat of the takedown against a fighter who prefers to keep things on the feet. Jose Ochoa only joined the organization last year but has garnered respect from fans and sportsbooks alike across a 1-1 run.

His initial appearance was a loss to Lone’er Kavanagh but a rousing knockout over Cody Durden last month has gotten the hype train moving again. The opening minutes were relatively nonstop but Ochoa didn’t let things get away from him, closing the fight seconds into the second round.

There is a lot of excitement when it comes to Ochoa but he has also displayed classic vulnerabilities of his youth. Ochoa throws hard and owns a 100% finish rate but gives up defense in the process, allowing even mediocre strikers to land on him.

This translates into his takedown defense, as well. Ochoa is a reactive fighter, instinctually clawing back advantages and adapting on the fly. He has held up well generally but his excitable nature and relative lack of experience shine light through gaps in his armor.

Although Ochoa pulled together some highlights against Cody Durden but this weekend is a sizable step up in competition from that moment. With less than a month to prepare, Ochoa will once again be reacting and hoping for the best against increasingly stiff opposition.

Asu Almabayev saw his stock drop quite a bit after the loss to Kape but it isn’t an entirely similar match-up at UFC on ABC 9. Whereas Kape has the agility and power to keep things where he wants, Ochoa lacks the mobility and will need to rely on precise strikes to keep Almabayev off his hips.

Almabayev is experienced at diffusing powerful strikers and should relish a much cruder, slower opponent in Ochoa after the speedy Kape earlier this year. Look for the Kazakh veteran to get the job done in relatively drama-free fashion.

A layoff of over two years proved too much for Nikita Krylov to overcome. Krylov’s return saw him meeting Dominick Reyes but the experience was short-lived, with Reyes having his hand raised after only three minutes.

Krylov now finds himself forced to start from the ground up at the age of 33. A familiar name in the light heavyweight division, Krylov has been in the UFC since 2013 and compiled a rather impressive resume in that time.

That said, layoffs and his recent poor showing have cast doubt on Krylov’s future in the division. Though he is only 33-years-old, his long and tumultuous career has spanned over 40 professional bouts already. With his durability becoming a bigger question mark, this weekend represents a particularly stiff test.

Meeting Krylov will be a powerful finisher in Bogdan Guskov. Born in Uzbekistan but training out of Russia, Guskov has already earned a reputation as a heavy-handed brute. Owning a 100% finish rate, Guskov knows nothing but charging ahead with fight-ending intent.

His most recent outing saw him end things with a guillotine choke but that was a submission handed to him on a silver platter at the tail end of a one-sided affair. In fact, Guskov has never scored a takedown across four UFC bouts and is unlikely to break that trend at UFC on ABC 9.

Guskov breaks fighters down with concussive force or the presence of persistent aggression. He lacks finesse but makes up for it in raw power and the confidence to throw hands with anyone. An offensive juggernaut like that is apt to maintain his momentum and roll through a returning Krylov.

Once again, circumstances are going against Krylov in a tough return to the cage. Though Krylov is the more experienced, technically savvier fighter, I anticipate he falls victim to the thudding strikes of Guskov.