The UFC’s annual PPV visit to Abu Dhabi is back once again as the Etihad Arena gets the pleasure of hosting another event.
The fight card hasn’t been revealed as UFC 321 is set to take place on October 25th.
The last three pay-per-views in Abu Dhabi have been nothing short of electric, featuring some big fights and emerging future contenders.
Here are seven of the biggest moments that have happened at the Etihad Arena, which have brought delight to fans.
Makhachev becomes the King of the Lightweights
When you think of the greatest to do it at 155 pounds, Islam Makhachev will spring to mind for most of the MMA community.
Before his many championship defences, his title glory first began at UFC 280, where he took on Charles Oliveira for the vacant belt.
Oliveira headed into the battle as a former champion after losing the Lightweight title in his last fight for missing the weight limit.
‘Do Bronxs’ still won the bout by first-round submission against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.
The Russian began his golden legacy when he dropped the Brazilian with a right hook before submitting Oliveira with an Arm Triangle Choke in round two.
A glorious moment for the Dagestan fighter who began his era of entertaining fights and impressive performances.
A surprising end to an anticipated fight
At UFC 294, Light Heavyweight contenders Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker squared off in the Octagon.
It was a possibility that the winner could be the next title challenger, or at least be one fight away from a chance at UFC gold.
The first three minutes of the contest were rather interesting to watch, with Ankalaev landing a body punch.
Walker pretended he was hurt before attempting a flying knee, just missing the Russian and resulting in him being taken down against the cage.
All of a sudden, the Russian landed an accidental illegal knee whilst the Brazilian was down.
After the incident, despite seeming to be okay, Walker almost started a wild brawl with Ankalaev as security piled into the Octagon.
The bout ended as a no-contest, which meant a rematch had to happen.
Three months later, the two Light Heavyweights went face-to-face again, and this time, Ankalaev won by second-round knockout.
Chimaev becomes the scariest Middleweight
If there is one fighter who looks more terrifying than anyone else, it’s Khamzat Chimaev.
The UAE mixed martial artist quickly became recognisable, without being a champion, due to his dominant performances and undefeated record.
At UFC 308, Chimaev was fighting against former Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker in the co-main event.
The battle was a title eliminator, making the stakes high for this exciting matchup.
Within seconds, ‘Borz’ took down the Australian as he played to his strengths by dominating on the ground.
After almost four minutes of grappling against the cage, Chimaev locked in a Rear-Naked Choke, which quickly made ‘The Reaper’ tap.
It was a genuinely shocking performance, as it marked Whittaker’s first submission loss in the UFC.
Ten months after his showstopping victory, the Russia-born fighter competes for the title against Dricus Du Plessis in Chicago at UFC 319.
O’Malley edges victory in a three-round war
One of the best fights in 2022 was the gruelling matchup between Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley on the main card of UFC 280.
Yan was the #1 contender and former champion of the division, while ‘Suga’ was #11 in the Bantamweight rankings.
This intense fight lasted all three rounds, featuring a mix of striking exchanges, grappling, and scrambles.
Both men went the distance as the judges’ scorecards were read aloud, with O’Malley winning by split decision.
Many MMA fans viewed this as a controversial decision, as Yan had dominated on the ground throughout the three rounds.
But the dispute had eventually been silenced when the Helena-born fighter won the Bantamweight title after knocking out Aljamain Sterling in round two.
A unique and remarkable knockout
If you had to think of the most bizarre KO in UFC history, there would be no surprise if Shara Magomedov was mentioned.
At UFC 308, the undefeated Russian aimed to continue his rich run of form by taking on Armen Petrosyan.
As such a high-valued prospect, the MMA community were expecting an eye-catching performance.
However, it didn’t seem to happen as Magomedov appeared to be struggling against the Armenian.
Towards the end of round two, the ‘Bullet’ decided to attempt a double spinning backfist, which ultimately paid off.
The connection of the two strikes was so perfect that Petrosyan was stunned and dropped to the ground, leaving him unable to continue.
In such an unusual way to knock someone out, it was no surprise that the crowd went mental.
Rematch ends in a much quicker and brutal fashion.
The Etihad Arena was prepared to host a second consecutive Lightweight title bout, with Makhachev being the champion.
Initially, he was meant to face Oliveira from their first bout at UFC 280, as it was an opportunity to get revenge for the Brazilian.
However, less than two weeks before this anticipated fight, the #1 contender had to pull out due to injury.
Alexander Volkanovski stepped in on 11 days’ notice to fight for the 155-pound belt.
The UFC Featherweight Champion was looking for vengeance after losing his first contest to Makhachev at UFC 284.
The Australian came so close to becoming a simultaneous two-division champion and had another chance to do so.
Comparing the two fights, the first was decided by the judges’ scorecards, with the Russian winning by unanimous decision.
The second was completely the opposite as Makhachev knocked down ‘The Great’ with a head kick.
The Dagestan mixed martial artist then followed up with some brutal follow-up punches, ending the fight.
The King of the Lightweights remained as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter and increased his winning streak to 13.
Topuria does the unthinkable
At the beginning of 2024, Ilia Topuria became the Featherweight Champion after knocking out Volkanovski at UFC 298.
So what better way than to take on another 145-pound legend and fan-favourite, Max Holloway.
The Hawaiian was coming off a devastating knockout win in his last fight when he knocked out Gaethje in the first round at UFC 300.
‘Blessed’ called out the Georgian as, after becoming the BMF Champion, he wanted to regain the Featherweight title.
While Topuria had insane knockout power, Holloway was known for having the greatest chin in the UFC as he had never been knocked out in his MMA career.
The championship fight’s first two rounds gradually picked up the pace as ‘El Matador’ tested ‘Blessed’ both on the ground and the feet.
In the third round, Topuria landed a powerful right-hand punch, which stunned Holloway, sending him backwards against the cage.
Eventually, Topuria landed the knockout blow as a left hook sent the BMF title holder crashing down on the canvas.
A first for the Hawaiian as he received his first KO loss, making it the champion’s most prestigious win of his career.