After an exciting preliminary card, the main card did not disappoint with some incredible battles.

The Fights

(10) Nikita Krylov (30-10) VS (13) Bogdan Guskov (17-3)- Light Heavyweight

Bogdan Guskov got the biggest win of his career on Saturday night after a brutal right hand sent Nikita Krylov crashing onto the canvas. Destructive ground and pound left his opponent defenceless, earning another first round victory. With his fourth win in a row, ‘Czarevitch’ is now into the top 10 of the Light heavy weight division. 

(9) Asu Almabayev (21-3) VS Jose Ochoa (8-1)- Flyweight

In a highly competitive and entertaining bout, Asu Almabayev pushed Jose Ochoa aside with a unanimous decision: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. 

Almabayev had  control of the fight throughout and was efficient with his striking combinations. He found his best results when he passed though Ochoa’s guard landing heavy strikes after takedowns. ‘Zulfikar’ retains his number nine ranking in the flyweight division.

With five wins and one loss in the UFC, he called out Joshua Van after he claims the new number one contender ran away from him previously.

Sharaputdin Magomedov (15-1) VS Marc-Andre Barriault (17-9)- Middleweight

Sharaputdin Magomedov had a masterclass in striking on Saturday night against Marc-Andre Barriault. ‘Shara Bullet’ is back to his best after his disappointing loss against Michael ‘Venom’ Page last time out, winning via unanimous descion:30-27, 30-27,30-27. The fan favourite left the arena with a potential fight of the night performance. 

Even with this great victory, this fight wasn’t an easy ride. ‘The Pirate had to sail through some rough waters in the second round after he was caught by a vicious right hand that smashed his nose. Despite been rocked, ‘The Bullet’ came back and found his groove again in the third, effortlessly piecing up the whole body of the Canadian.

CO-MAIN EVENT

(3) Peter Yan (18-5) VS (12) Marcus McGhee (10-1)- Bantamweight

The two-time Bantamweight champion Peter Yan adds yet another impressive victory to his record beating Marcus McGhee in a riveting performance winning by unanimous. Tonight, the Russian showed ‘No Mercy’ after unleashing vicious combinations and a shotgun like jab.

The first round was highly competitive with McGhee looking threatening, throwing heavy strikes. However, in the second and third  round, Yan raised the level, getting the better of a fatigued McGhee finishing the fight on the ground. After the fight, Yan sent a message to Dana White “I have beat Cory Sandhagen, please put me in title fight”.

Main Event

(5) Robert Whittaker (27-8) VS (13) Reinier de Ridder (20-2)- Middleweight

Reinier de Ridder beats former champion Robert Whittaker in a fiercely competitive bout. After going five rounds, ‘RDR’ won via split decision: 47-48, 48-47 and 48,47.

The opening round saw ‘The Reaper’ land the heavier shots early on and cut ‘RDR’s’ eyebrow. In the second, Ridder started to settle down in the fight and landed an effective knee that helped the takedown. 

The third round was probably the round of the night in Abu Dhabi with RDR coming out the blocks quick and landed heavy combinations, causing blood to smear all over Whittaker’s face. Suddenly a strong right hand by Whittaker dropped the dutchman to the canvas, turning the tide of the fight on its head with brutal ground and pounding including elbows. Both fighters recovered but were left fatigued.

After the electrifying pace that was set in the first three rounds it was impossible for them to keep that up entering the final two rounds. The later rounds favoured RDR as he controlled the fight on the ground and in the clinch sealing the victory.

Now four wins out of four in the UFC, former One double weight champion is now ranked fifth in the middleweight division. He is a massive threat and is a definite competitor for the title.