Abu Dhabi’s UFC 280 Transforms The Nation Into A Global Capital For MMA
Back in April 2019, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced that it reached an agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for a five-year partnership. This partnership highlights how the UAE has cemented its status as a hub for high-profile international sporting events and a global capital for MMA as the UFC has held 16 events in Abu Dhabi over the years.
Yesterday, Etihad Arena hosted UFC 280’s main event fight between Russia’s Islam Makhachev and Brazil’s Charles Oliveira. A new champion in the 155-pound division was unveiled as Makhachev dethroned MMA lightweight king Oliveira to claim the lightweight crown on Saturday night. The win completed an incredible journey for the pupil of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Makhachev took the former champion down in Round 2 and secured an arm-triangle choke. Post-win, Makhachev stated, “that he has trained so hard for this moment since he was a kid.”
In the other title fight of the evening, Aljamain Sterling successfully retained his title via technical knockout (TKO) by taking advantage of TJ Dillashaw’s injury. After the fight, Dillashaw told CBS Sports that he had blown out his shoulder back in April and that the injury had persisted throughout training camp. During the fight, Dillashaw’s shoulder injury surfaced once again in round 1 as he popped it out before his corner could put it back in place. Sterling on the other hand continued to push forward and punish the former champ with ground and pound (a fighting style in which one pins the opponent and then strikes him repeatedly) before the fight was called off.
But this year’s main event fight will not be the only one people remember. Back in 2020, Mounir Lazzez, the first Arab-born and Arab-based fighter ever signed by the UFC made his debut in Abu Dhabi, and his performance had a special place in the hearts of Emirati fans. Tunisian-born Lazzez was handed no favors as he was paired up against Abdul Razak Alhassan, a knockout artist at UFC on ESPN 13. He entered the battle as a significant underdog, but he surprised Alhassan by including some wrestling into his fighting techniques. After defeating him in three rounds, Lazzez undoubtedly claimed the title: “Fight of the Night.”
The UFC’s president, Dana White, expressed his opinions to UFC Arabia on the growth of the sport in the region, saying that it is “becoming the fight capital of the globe.” This is due to the fact that new fighters are now beginning to emerge and have an impact on the sport, and not just because the biggest fights on the planet take place there.
