The UFC’s annual summer trip to Abu Dhabi is officially taking shape. The promotion will return to the Etihad Arena on July 25 for another highly anticipated Fight Night event. While the date and venue had already been confirmed two weeks ago, the latest updates have now revealed the card’s main event and co-main event matchups. 

According to reports, former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev, ranked No. 1 in the division, will face No. 5-ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of the night. And the co-main event spot has been taken by former bantamweight title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov, who will face No. 9-ranked UFC newcomer David Martinez. 

Ankalaev, of course, is coming off a devastating first-round knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 320 in October. This was a highly anticipated rematch between the duo, where the Russian light heavyweight suffered his second career loss. Rountree Jr., on the other hand, is coming off a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Jiří Procházka on the same night. 

In the co-main event, Umar Nurmagomedov fights for the second time this year, having defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in January. For David Martinez as well, this will be his second fight of 2026. He defeated UFC legend Marlon Vera in March via unanimous decision. While the two main fights have been revealed, details about the rest of the card haven’t been confirmed. 

For a fight night event, the card appears more than decent. But fans didn’t feel that way after discovering a post on X regarding the same. 

Umar Nurmagomedov handed an easy opponent, fans say

One fan blamed the UFC for throwing easy opponents at Umar Nurmagomedov. “Bro, why does Umar get such easy fights, man? Give him a top 5 fighter, then watch him get a title shot,” the user posted. He defeated current bantamweight No. 4 Cory Sandhagen in August 2024, earning himself a title shot against Merab Dvalishvili in January last year. However, after falling short in that fight, Umar now appears to be working his way back toward another title opportunity.

Someone else felt the UFC holds ill will against the Dagestani fighter. “The UFC really is punishing Umar for that performance against Figgy 😂,” the fan commented. Umar Nurmagomedov comprehensively dominated Deiveson Figueiredo over three rounds at UFC 324. Since Figueiredo has a more fan-friendly fighting style, the user is claiming UFC doesn’t want to give Umar better fights.

The next user wasn’t happy about Umar’s opponent either. “Why tf is this NPC Martinez fighting the #2 guy in the division???- such an easy win for Umar,” the user asked. While Martinez stands to gain overnight fame if he wins, Nurmagomedov may not only drop down in the rankings, but his reputation will also take a hit if he loses. 

Someone else felt the UFC gives Mexican fighters more opportunities. “Mexican privilege never gets brought up enough with the UFC man, wtf am I looking at,” the user claimed. Matchmaking depends on several factors, such as availability. But combat sports indeed have a large Mexican fan base. 

Some of the hate was also directed toward Khalil Rountree Jr. “Khalil keeps getting opportunities for no reason lol; he is a walking punching bag,” the user wrote. Rountree has lost two out of his last three fights, but others in the rankings in the top five haven’t exactly done well in their fights.  

In any case, the UFC Abu Dhabi card appears more than decent, even though people have some complaints about it. Do you like the card?