Fight styles clash in the main event! \ud83d\udc40@RobWhittakerMMA<\/a> vs Reinier de Ridder<\/p>\n [ LIVE TOMORROW 3pmET on ABC | #UFCAbuDhabi<\/a> | @VisitAbuDhabi<\/a> | @InAbuDhabi<\/a> | #InAbuDhabi<\/a> ] pic.twitter.com\/I5tQQFpFR6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2025<\/a>Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder Reinier de Ridder (red gloves) fights Bo Nickal (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Wells Fargo Arena. \/ Reese Strickland-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Whittaker may still have the speed to piece up de Ridder on the feet and avoid any prolonged grappling exchanges, but as a former welterweight I have concerns about how \u201cThe Reaper\u201d will fair against a serious submission threat<\/a> that\u2019s also significantly larger than him.<\/p>\n (Pick: de Ridder)<\/p>\n READ MORE: Paddy Pimblett brutally shuts down No. 1 UFC contender fight<\/a><\/p>\n Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee Petr Yan (red gloves) before his fight against Sean O’Malley (blue gloves) during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena. \/ Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Three-round fights are always a bit of a concern for Yan given that he can sometimes start slowly, but this is a massive step up for McGhee against a former UFC bantamweight champion.<\/p>\n (Pick: Yan)<\/p>\n Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault Shara Magomedov returns at UFC Abu Dhabi following his first loss. \/ (Craig Kidwell\/MMA Junkie<\/p>\n This is a pretty clear step back for Magomedov after he came up short against Michael Page. Barriault certainly has some power, but if \u201cBullet\u201d is allowed to fight from his preferred range then he should return to the win column here.<\/p>\n (Pick: Magomedov)<\/p>\n Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa Asu Almabayev (blue gloves) fights CJ Vergara (red gloves) during UFC 299 at Kayesa Center. \/ Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Ochoa impressed fans in his last outing against Cody Durden, but Almabayev feels like a tough stylistic matchup and is looking to bounce back from a loss to Manel Kape that at least temporarily halted his rise towards flyweight title contention.<\/p>\n (Pick: Almabayaev)<\/p>\n Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov Bogdan Guskov (red gloves) fights Billy Elekana (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. \/ Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n He\u2019s certainly the more credentialed fighter, but after Krylov\u2019s return fight against Dominick Reyes at UFC 314 I\u2019m hesitant to pick \u201cThe Miner\u201d in a matchup with someone that hits as hard as Guskov.<\/p>\n (Pick: Guskov)<\/p>\n Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov Bryce Mitchell (red gloves) fights Kron Gracie (blues gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. \/ Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Mitchell certainly hasn\u2019t been given an easy matchup for his bantamweight debut, especially given how dangerous Nurmagomedov\u2019s guillotine chokes are. \u201cThug Nasty\u201d will need to watch his neck<\/a> when the two men tie up, but I\u2019ll side with Mitchell to get his hand raised.<\/p>\n (Pick: Mitchell)<\/p>\n READ MORE: Ilia Topuria says he\u2019d rather give up his UFC belt than face top contender<\/a><\/p>\n Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal Carlos Leal fights Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308. \/ (Craig Kidwell\/MMA Junkie)<\/p>\n I don\u2019t love how heavily favored Leal is in this spot, but unless the 41-year-old Salikhov is able to end things with a big shot then I think the Brazilian should get the job done here.<\/p>\n (Pick: Leal)<\/p>\n Da\u2019Mon Blackshear vs. Davey Grant Davey Grant (red gloves) fights Daniel Marcos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. \/ Per Haljestam-Imagn Images<\/p>\n On paper this looks like a good chance for the younger fighter in Blackshear to extend his winning run, but I\u2019m going to slightly lean with Grant to pull off the upset in one of the most intriguing fights at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n (Pick: Grant)<\/p>\n Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci Amanda Ribas lands a punch on Maycee Barber the UFC Fight Night event VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. \/ Corey Perrine\/Florida Times-Union \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n This is an important strawweight matchup that probably deserves more attention than it\u2019s getting, and I\u2019ll side with Ribas to utilize a size advantage and snap the first two-fight skid of her career. <\/p>\n (Pick: Ribas)<\/p>\n Ibo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana Ibo Aslan (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Anton Turkalj (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall. \/ Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Elekana stepped in for a tough UFC debut against Bogdan Guskov earlier this year, and now he\u2019s facing another dangerous finisher in Aslan that\u2019s looking to rebound from being finished by Ion Cutelaba in February.<\/p>\n (Pick: Aslan)<\/p>\n Mohammad Yahya vs. Steve Nguyen Steve Nguyen during his UFC debut against Jarno Errens. \/ (Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Yahya likely has his back against the wall after an 0-2 start to his UFC career, and unfortunately for him I think Nguyen will be the one to pick up his first Octagon victory when the two featherweights meet in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n (Pick: Nguyen)<\/p>\n READ MORE: 18-1 UFC dark horse calls out Colby Covington for squash match<\/a><\/p>\n Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha Marcus Buchecha will make his UFC debut in the opening fight for UFC Abu Dhabi. \/ (ONE Championship)<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to forget that Buday is 6-1 since he joined the UFC given that some of his performances haven\u2019t been the most exciting. I do think the Slovakian could potentially play spoiler here, but Buchecha is a physical force and an intriguing addition<\/a> to the UFC heavyweight division.<\/p>\n (Pick: Buchecha)<\/p>\n MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC Abu Dhabi all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage tomorrow for live results and highlights on fight night. <\/p>\n \u2022 Undefeated MMA champion dominates UFC veteran, gets belt from Islam Makhachev<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Referee sprints to save unconscious MMA fighter after savage KO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Ilia Topuria hopes UFC gives him Conor McGregor treatment after Canelo-Crawford fight<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Israel Adesanya gives bold pick for Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with MMAKnockout<\/a> for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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