What to know
- The UFC has signed ACA champions Magomedrasul Gasanov and Abubakar Vagaev to fight each other in a middleweight bout at UFC Abu Dhabi.
- Vagaev (24-4) is 33 years old and won the ACA welterweight belt for the second time in his last fight. His current win streak includes UFC veterans Albert Tumenov and Michel Prazeres.
- Magomedrasul Gasanov (23-2) is 31 years old and won the ACA middleweight title in 2021. He successfully defended the belt seven times (most recently against Tumenov) and has won 16 fights in a row.
UFC Abu Dhabi adds fight between former ACA champions
In one of the promotion’s more unexpected free agent moves in recent memory, the UFC has signed two champions from another organization and matched them up at UFC Abu Dhabi.
As has become an annual occurrence, the UFC is slated to return to the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE on July 25. The UFC Fight Night event is headlined by former light heavyweight title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. and Magomed Anakalev, who will be competing for the first time since losing the light heavyweight belt to Alex Pereira.
The card will also see Ismael Bonfim and Axel Sola meet in a banger of a lightweight matchup and Valter Walker try to extend his absurd heel hook streak to four fights when he takes on Thomas Petersen. In a surprise move that already has hardcore MMA fans looking forward to July 25, Vestnik MMA reports that ACA titleholders Magomedrasul Gasanov and Abubakar Vagaev will also debut against each other in a middleweight bout.
Abubakar Vagaev (24-4 record)
Already a seasoned veteran of 28 professional MMA fights, Vagaev claimed the ACA welterweight belt for the second time in his most recent outing when he took a unanimous decision over Albert Tumenov at ACA 183.
The 33-year-old first joined ACA in 2019 and defeated Fernando Gonzalez to kick off what eventually became a five-fight win streak. That run was capped off by a split decision over Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov to first win the ACA belt in 2022 before he was knocked out by Vitaly Slipenko in his first title defense later that year.
After unseating Tumenov, Vagaev is now a three-fight win streak that began when he defeated UFC veteran Michel Prazeres at ACA 162 in his first outing since being stopped by Slipenko.
Magomedrasul Gasanov (23-2 record)
Vagaev makes the move up to 185 lbs. for his debut at UFC Abu Dhabi, where he’ll face long-reigning ACA middleweight king Gasanov.
Boasting an impressive 23-2 record, Gasanov began his professional MMA career with five-straight wins and four finishes before he was submitted in back-to-back fights in 2015. Those stand as the only setbacks of his career, and since then he’s won 16 consecutive fights.
The 31-year-old stopped Nikola Dipchikov to win the ACA middleweight belt in 2021 and successfully defended it a staggering seven times, most recently via unanimous decision against Tumenov at ACA 200 in February.
As unexpected as the double-signing of two ACA champions and the decision to match them up together may be, Gasanov vs. Vagaev is a massive addition to a UFC Abu Dhabi card that is currently shaping up like this.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card
Main Event: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Magomedrasul Gasanov vs. Abubakar Vagaev
Valter Walker vs. Thomas Petersen
Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune
Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola
Brendson Ribeiro vs. Magomedov Tuchalov
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