MACHADO AND BREESE LOCKED-IN FOR UAE WARRIORS 67
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – The main-eventing UFC vets Caio Machado and Tom Breese both made weight to rubber-stamp their impending collision in the UAE Warriors Octagon at the ADNEC Centre in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night. With 12 action-packed bouts including a number of must-win fights for 24 of the planet’s fastest-emerging talents in global mixed martial arts, UAE Warriors 67 kicks off 2026 for the Middle East’s biggest combat sports promotion in style!
The headliner is a bout that could easily be a worthy UFC main event between two highly-experienced and still thoroughly relevant fighters which caused quite a stir in the global media when it was announced. Caio Machado 11-4 is a Dana White Contender Series Winner who introduced himself to Warriors fans on his promotional debut last year with a sensational first-round flying knee knockout of Kevin Oumar and has never been stopped in all of his fifteen pro fights. But his British opponent Tom Breese 20-7 has submitted fourteen top-drawer opponents and looks in ominous form in what is his sixteenth year of competition, a timespan during which he took five victories in the UFC and several titles in BAMMA and LFL. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest UAE Warriors main events in recent memory, and a cracking headliner to ignite the 2026 promotional calendar.
After medical concerns scratched the co-main event between Akbarjon Islomboev and Ali Guliev several days ago, the featherweight scrap between Sylvester Chipfumbu 12-6 ZIM and Gustavo Ribeiro 7-1 gets a worthy promotion to the slot and despite the Zimbabwean being the reigning Intercontinental Featherweight Champion, his belt is not on the line against the debuting Brazilian foe. Ribeiro is a national kickboxing champion and has already promised a quick first-round finish against the more-experienced Chipfumbu who looked imperious in all areas against the promotional veteran Ali AlQaisi last July to take the title. This is a co-main event that could quite possibly steal the FOTN honours.
After getting chewed-out by Dana White for not finishing a fight which he dominated in Contender Series and therefore not getting a contract, Rashid Vagabov 14-2 returns for his fifth Warriors fight in need of a victory after the UFC President said he’d be welcomed back after a couple more impressive wins. That’s easier said than done against the multiple-times Alash Pride 125lb champ, Sanzhar Adilov 14-2 from Kazakhstan who has stated that 2026 is going to be the year that his career goes stratospheric. With both being the most dynamic grapplers in the division, fans can expect lightning quick scrambles with high stakes for both combatants.
Another highly-dangerous vet of Bellator, PFL, ACA and ACB, Mukhamed ‘Cherkes’ Berkhamov 17-4 makes his promotional debut against Vale Tudo specialist Jackson Loureiro 15-5-1 in a fascinating clash of styles between wrestling and Muay Thai. The Russian has only been submitted once in twenty-one fights, and was running a twelve-fight winning streak including many first-round stoppages until running into Lorenzo Larkin’s elbow in Bellator two years ago. Loureiro however, has an incredible striking skillset that was on immediate display in his last fight two months ago where a first-round high knee scored him a spectacular knockout in Montpellier and the Dynamite Featherweight title with it. Here are two fighters who always look for the finish and are happy to take risks in each other’s wheelhouses. And if there is one fight that is most unlikely to go the distance, this is it.
Kickstarting the main card is a catchweight bout featuring the most experienced fighter on the card, Rony ‘Ratinho’ Henrique 20-14 who has held four belts in four different promotions with six first round stoppages. He fought seven times last year whilst his opponent Moris Boleyan 8-0 has had a two-year layoff. Having submitted all eight of his opponents including six in the first round, the highly-touted Armenian is determined to cause a massive upset and light the touchpaper of a new era in his highly-promising career.
With fourteen other athletes competing on a stacked undercard, this is the biggest card in recent promotional history and with CEO of Palms Sports and Managing Director of UAE Warriors, Fouad Darwish announced a packed event schedule for the year, not just in the sport of MMA but also in the realm of Jiu-Jitsu, 2026 is set to be the greatest year in the growth of the sport in the Middle East. And it all starts with UAE Warriors 67 tonight!
The entire UAE Warriors 67 Card is:
Catchweight 85.5kg Magomed Kurbanov 2-0 vs Khabib Gaziev 3-2
Middleweight Ulugbek Rakhmonov 1-1 vs Ayissi Bessala 0-0
Bantamweight Murad Ibragimov 4-1 vs Enkhjargal Banzaragch 5-5
Catchweight 55kgs Benita van Rooij 6-1 vs Zulfiya Kurbashova 3-3
Catchweight 88kgs Sharapudin Ziyaudinov 6-0 vs Yusup Magomedov 10-1
Heavyweight Gadzhi Abdulkadirov 6-2 vs Sofiane Boukichou 12-9
Light Heavyweight Magomed Tuchalov 4-0 vs Siyakudumiso Nomvemve 5-3
Featherweight Rony Henrique 20-14 vs Moris Boleyan 8-0
Catchweight 79kgs Mukhamed Berkhamov 17-4 vs Jackson Loureiro 15-5
Catchweight 59kgs Rashid Vagabov 14-2 vs Sanzhar Adilov 14-2
Featherweight Sylvester Chipfumbu 12-6 vs Gustavo Ribeiro 7-1
Light Heavyweight Caio Machado 11-4 vs Tom Breese 20-7
UAE Warriors 67 takes place at the ADNEC Centre in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 31st January.
Tickets available at – https://tickets.virginmegastore.me/ae/event/30908/sports/uae-warriors-67
Further information available at www.uaewarriors.com
