There’s a special early morning start time on Saturday as the UFC heads to Abu Dhabi this weekend.
Some names you probably have not seen or heard before are on this card, as Eastern European and Middle Eastern fighters often fight on cards like these if they have visa issues stateside.
Nine of the 12 fights this weekend are expected to end inside the distance, according to the oddsmakers.
The entire card begins bright and early on Saturday at 9 a.m. Eastern for the prelims, and the main card starts at 12 p.m. Eastern.
Here are our complete UFC Abu Dhabi predictions:
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov
No one would ever deny Ankalaev’s talent. The former UFC light heavyweight champion has looked dominant at times but struggled during others with boneheaded decisions that resulted in his two losses.
Guskov hits hard as one of the stronger power punchers in the UFC, but is taking this fight on short notice, having been previously scheduled to fight Jan Blachowicz.
Guskov will need to win this fight by knockout, as Ankalaev will have better wrestling and higher levels of volume in the boxing department. For that reason, Guskov is a tough fighter to bet on even at a big underdog price of +430.
Ankalaev should come away with a victory here, but I suspect Guskov does a good enough job to stay competitive and not get knocked out, which the oddsmakers are projecting (Ankalaev to win by knockout is -140).
Guskov has fought this Russian style throughout his career while at Eastern European promotions such as Fight Nights Global and others.
This shouldn’t be a totally unfamiliar spot for Guskov, and Ankalaev is usually a guy that avoids damage and coasts to a decision when he is allowed to do so.
Prediction: Ankalaev wins by decision (+440, FanDuel).
Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov
Pretty short turnaround for Erceg after he defeated Tim Elliott last time out in May, and he comes back into the octagon to fight Temirov.
We haven’t seen Temirov since March 2025, as he returns from a 12-month performance-enhancing drug suspension.
That could be to his benefit as Temirov should come into this fight in career-best shape, with or without the performance enhancers.
Concerningly for Erceg is that he’s turning around quickly for a fight, having just battled for 15 minutes against Elliott, where he absorbed 90 significant strikes.
It’s hard to imagine that his body is in peak shape for this fight given the quick turnaround and for that reason I’ll take Temirov to improve to 3-0 in the UFC.
Prediction: Temirov wins by KO/TKO or decision (+100, Fanatics Sportsbook).
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UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi full card picks
Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman: Dulatov wins in Round 1 (-157, BetRivers).
Magomed Zaynukov vs. Damian Rzepecki: Small bet on Zaynukov by submission (14/1, FanDuel).
Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune: Kuniev wins in Over 1.5 rounds (-110, DraftKings).
Abubakar Vagaev vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev: Vagaev moneyline for parlays (-235, Fanatics).
Valter Walker vs. Thomas Petersen: Over 1.5 rounds (-150, theScore Bet).
Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammad Saidov: Fight goes to decision (+124, FanDuel).
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sam Patterson: Patterson by KO/TKO (+125, DraftKings).
Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola: Sola by decision (+290, FanDuel).
Magomed Tuchalov vs. Brendson Ribeiro: Over 0.5 rounds (-260, DraftKings).
Nurullo Aliev vs. Mike Davis: Over 1.5 rounds (-350, Fanatics) for parlays.
Cody Gibson vs. Abdul Hussein: Hussein by KO/TKO (+250, BetRivers).
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
