Abu Dhabi is all set to host UFC242 on September 7 and the government has spared no expense in promoting what is to be the biggest mixed-martial-arts event in the Middle-East.
The Abu Dhabi government constructed a special stadium called The Arena on Yas Island for UFC242 and are reported to have invited Presidents and some of the top Sheikhs in the land to the event.
So far no names have been officially confirmed but one can expect a sell-out crowded, celebrities and some of the top entrepreneurs in MENA to be present.
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This will be the first time that the UFC is holding a pay-per-view event in the Middle East. One of the main reasons for this is because Dagestan superstar and UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will headline the event when he defends his belt against interim champion Dustin Poirier.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is the biggest sportstar in the Muslim world and has close to 16 million followers on Instagram and that following is going to grow after Saturday night. Nurmagomedov will go in as the favourite as he remains undefeated in his MMA career till date.
The night will also be special for Khabib because his father will get to corner him after a long time. Khabib’s father has been unable to secure a visa to the US and corner his son who has mostly fought in the United States under the UFC banner.
Dustin Poirier knows that he has a tough challenge on his hand but has prepared well for battle. The Louisiana native has not only predicted that he will beat Khabib but has also claimed that he will be the first fighter to finish Khabib in the Octagon.
The co-main event will feature Brazilian Edson Barboza take on Paul Felder for the second time. Barboza won the first fight and will be confident of making it 2-0.
The UFC has decided to pack this fight card with a number of Muslim fighters given the fact that they are fighting in Abu Dhabi.
Some of the fighters that will take part in UFC242 include Khabib’s training partner and close friend Islam Makhachev who will fight David Ramos on the main card; heavyweight Shamil Abdurakhimov who will take on the impressive Curtis Blades and Mairbek Taisumov who will fight Carlos Diego Ferreira. As well as Zubaira Tukhugov who had his NAC suspension reduced will fight against Lerone Murphy in the Preliminary Card Lightweight Match.
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