The UFC has announced a return to the Middle East for what has become a regular mid-fall stop.
UFC 294 will take place Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the promotion announced early Thursday. No matchups have been announced for the card, but historically the UFC has plenty of fighters from that side of the world hoping for a spot on the show in the United Arab Emirates.
UFC 294 will be the UFC’s 18th event in Abu Dhabi, though a dozen of them, from July 2020 through January 2021 were part of pandemic-era shows the company set up on “Fight Island” in a bubble capacity due to COVID-19.
The UFC did three shows in eight days at Etihad Arena in January 2021 in front of a limited number of fans. Then in October 2021, UFC 267 touched down at the venue with a light heavyweight title fight and Glover Teixeira’s submission of Jan Blachowicz to win the belt.
That card also featured Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev. Makhachev returned for UFC 280 this past October and won the lightweight title with a submission of Charles Oliveira.
Below, check out the UFC’s history of events in Abu Dhabi.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
UFC 112: Invincible
Date: April 10, 2010
Venue: Concert Arena, Yas Island
Attendance: 11,008
Notes: Anderson Silva took a unanimous decision from Demian Maia to defend his middleweight title in the main event. In the co-feature, Frankie Edgar ended B.J. Penn’s lightweight run to win the title with a unanimous decision.
UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson
Date: April 11, 2014
Venue: du Arena
Attendance: 7,963
Notes: Roy Nelson knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event. The card was a rarity in that it featured only eight fights, the first of which ended in a no contest between Rani Yahya and Johnny Bedford.
UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier
Date: Sept. 7, 2019
Venue: The Arena at Yas Island
Attendance: Not announced
Notes: Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Dustin Poirier in the third round to defend his title in the main event.
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal
Date: July 12, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: The UFC’s first event in its “Fight Island” bubble featured three title fights: Kamaru Usman defended the welterweight belt with a unanimous decision over rival Jorge Masvidal in the headliner. In the co-main event, Alexander Volkanovski beat Max Holloway with a split decision in a rematch to defend the featherweight title. And Petr Yan beat Jose Aldo with a fifth-round TKO to win the vacant bantamweight title.
UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige
Date: July 16, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: Calvin Kattar took a unanimous decision from Dan Ige in the main event. The main card on ESPN featured five straight unanimous decisions.
UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2
Date: July 19, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: In the headliner, Deiveson Figueiredo choked out Joseph Benavidez in a rematch to win the vacant flyweight title.
UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till
Date: July 26, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker outworked Darren Till in the main event. The card also featured a split decision win for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua against fellow Brazilian legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and a first-round submission win for former heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum against Alexander Gustafsson.
UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa
Date: Sept. 27, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: Middleweight champ Israel Adesanya knocked out Paulo Costa in the second round in the main event. In the co-feature, Jan Blachowicz won the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round TKO of Dominick Reyes.
UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana
Date: Oct. 4, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: Former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm shut out Irena Aldana on the scorecards in the main event, which was the first time women headlined a UFC card in Abu Dhabi.
UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen
Date: Oct. 11, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: Cory Sandhagen knocked out Marlon Moraes with a spinning wheel kick in the second round in the main event. The card featured seven decisions and six knockouts.
UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie
Date: Oct. 18, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: Brian Ortega swept the scorecards against “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, in the main event.
UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje
Date: Oct. 24, 2020
Venue: du Forum
Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble)
Notes: In a lightweight title unification fight in the headliner, champ Khabib Nurmagomedov choked interim titleholder Justin Gaethje to sleep in the second round. In addition, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker outworked Jared Cannonier in the co-main event.
UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar
Date: Jan. 16, 2021
Venue: Etihad Arena
Attendance: 2,000
Notes: Former featherweight champ Max Holloway put on an all-timer of a striking clinic against Calvin Kattar. He won with a pair of 50-43 scores and an almost unheard of 50-42. The card featured seven decisions and three knockouts.
UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny
Date: Jan. 20, 2021
Venue: Etihad Arena
Attendance: 2,000
Notes: Michael Chiesa outworked Neil Magny in the welterweight main event.
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2
Date: Jan. 24, 2021
Venue: Etihad Arena
Attendance: 2,600
Notes: Dustin Poirier avenged a loss to Conor McGregor from years earlier with a second-round TKO in the headliner. In the co-feature, former Bellator champion Michael Chandler knocked out Dan Hooker for a $50,000 bonus.
UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Teixeira
Date: Oct. 30, 2021
Venue: Etihad Arena
Attendance: 10,171
Notes: For the first time in 10 years, a UFC numbered event was not a pay-per-view. In the headliner, Glover Teixeira submitted Jan Blachowicz to win the light heavyweight title. In the co-feature, Petr Yan outworked Cory Sandhagen in a Fight of the Night winner to win the interim bantamweight belt.
UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev
Date: Oct. 22, 2022
Venue: Etihad Arena
Attendance: 13,400
Notes: In the main event, Islam Makhachev submitted former champ Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight title. In the co-feature, Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight belt with a second-round TKO of former champ T.J. Dillashaw.
