Abu Dhabi is the frontrunner to host the UFC lightweight unification bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje later this year.
The UAE capital, set to stage the historic Fight Island next month, looks likely to also play host to one of the year's most anticipated fights, with UFC president Dana White confirming those rumours late on Friday night.
Abu Dhabi signed a five-year deal with UFC last year, with the second event of that agreement expected to take place in September or October. Local organisers told The National last week that the standalone event would most probably be October.
“I owe them [fights],” White told reporters after the UFC on ESPN 10 weigh-ins. "[Fight Island] has nothing to do with the five-year deal I have with Abu Dhabi to put fights on over there. This is completely separate."
Asked if undefeated lightweight champion Nurmagomedov against interim title-holder Gaethje is the frontrunner for the UFC’s return to the UAE, White replied: “Yes”.
Nurmagomedov, 31, has not fought since successfully defending his lightweight crown at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi last September, where he defeated then-interim champion Dustin Poirier.
The Russian, whose professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record stands at 28-0, had been slated to face Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, originally in April, but had to withdraw from its rescheduled slot last month because of travel restrictions put in place amid the coronavirus crisis.
Gaethje stepped in in place of Nurmagomedov in Jacksonville, Florida, and delivered the best performance of his career. The American, also 31, dominated Ferguson to eventually triumph by a fifth-round TKO and capture the interim title. It was Ferguson's first defeat in 13 fights.
No official date for Nurmagomedov-Gaethje has been announced, but Brazilian MMA website Combate reported September 19 for the title fight to headline the pay-per-view UFC 253. The report did say the fight has not yet been confirmed.
