Credits: UFC's Official X Account

Petr Yan vs Marcus McGhee, Bryce Mitchell vs Said Nurmagomedov, Shara Bullet vs Barriault among the bangers announced by Dana White!

Credits: UFC's Official X Account

UFC CEO Dana White sent shockwaves through the MMA world by recently issuing a two-week deadline to finalized the long-awaited heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Interim Champion Tom Aspinall. White expressed frustration over stalled negotiations, stating the UFC would “move on quickly” if no deal is reached, potentially making this fight the biggest in UFC’s history.

Less than a day later, White shifted his focus to UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. de Ridder which is set to go down on July 26, 2025, at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena. The event’s main card was widely know but what’s exciting is that the card now boasts a stacked main lineup. White’s announcement of six high-profile fights, including a five-round co-main event, shows his intent to deliver a blockbuster event, only keeping the UFC’s momentum going forward towards international fight week’s UFC 317.

Star-Studded Abu Dhabi Main Card Fights

Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan returns against Marcus McGhee in a pivotal 135-pound clash. Yan is coming fresh off of wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo and aims to reassert his title contention with a win over McGhee’s explosive 4-0 UFC start so far. The winner of the fight could head towards a top-5 matchup.

Bryce Mitchell, knowing for his grappling, drops to bantamweight to face Said Nurmagomedov. Mitchell moved down from featherweight after loss to Diego Lopes. Both the fighters have extremely impressive ground game, which could steal the show, with the winner of the fight eyeing a ranked oppoent.

🚨#UFCAbuDhabi Main Card🚨

Robert Whittaker 🆚 Reinier de Ridder
Movsar Evloev 🆚 Aaron Pico (5 rounds)
Petr Yan 🆚 Marcus McGhee
Said Nurmagomedov 🆚 Bryce Mitchell
Shara Magomedov 🆚 Marc-Andre Barriault
Nikita Krylov 🆚 Bogdan Guskov

WHAT A CARD! 🔥

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— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) June 18, 2025

Shara “Bullet” Magomedov aims to rebound from his first career loss to Michael Page against Canada’s Marc-Andre Barriault. Magomedov’s flashy striking will go up against Barriault’s durability, coming fresh off a 97-second KO at UFC 315. This middleweight bout promises to be fireworks, with Magomedov targeting a statement win to climb up in the middleweight division.

UFC

UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. De Ridder

Eric Divakaran

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I cover the National Football League and things cannot get better than that. I always dreamed to play football or basketball professionally since I’m built like a Running Back. But now that I can’t, since I’m technically in the “Unc” age, I thought why not pick a career in sports industry? So here I am, doing what I love, and hoping that the Commanders win the Super Bowl. I give love to players when it’s due, but can be critical about their performances at the same time. Enough about me, now let my articles do all the talking.