But these four fights don’t reveal the full extent of the star-power of this card. In comes Master Renzo Gracie’s brother, Robson Gracie Jr (3-1) following a string of submission wins in Bellator including his infamous armbar. He will face the identical record of Tehran’s powerful grappler, Amir Hossein Alipour (3-1). They compete in an 80kg catchweight bout as does the PFL vet and former LFA Welterweight Champ Carlos Leal (21-5), who debuted with UAE Warriors in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil in March this year with a first-round finish of Márcio Breno. He takes on the highly-experienced Erkin Darmenov (13-7) from Alash Pride Team in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
It’s been over a year since Norwegian welter, Ole-Jørgen Mandt Johnsen (5-3) competed in Abu Dhabi but he has a tough assignment against Kuwaiti combat superstar and former title contender, Abdullah Boushehri (11-5) Another massive 67kg clash is a fascinating Russia versus Azerbaijan matchup between the undefeated Magomedrasul Khakhulmagomedov (5-0) and the outstanding Baku brawler Ali Iskender Aliev (7-1) who is riding high on the momentum of his last Warriors victory over another highly-touted Russian opponent, Rustem Serbiev in July. Furthermore, two massive middleweight veterans clash as Brazil’s Diego Dias (17-5) takes on the towering Turk, Aigun Akhmedov (23-3) with both having competed in a collective 48 fights. In fact, UAE Warriors 55 features 22 fighters who have had a combined 291 professional MMA bouts between them.
Here’s how this sensational full card stacks-up:
BW Ullubiy Amirzhanov (3-0) vs Samir Akhmedov (6-2)
FW Akbarjon Islomboev (8-1) vs Ben Royle (8-2)
MW Diego Dias (17-5) vs Aigun Akhmedov (23-3)
WW Abdullah Boushehri (11-5) vs Ole-Jørgen Mandt Johnsen (5-3)
CW (80kg) Robson Gracie Jr. (3-1) vs Amir Hossein Alipour (3-1)
WW Magomedrasul Khakhulmagomedov (5-0) vs Ali Iskender Aliev (7-1)
CW (80kg) Carlos Leal (21-5) vs Erkin Darmenov (13-7)
CW (86kg) Tarek Suleiman (12-8) vs Ole Magnor (8-8)
LW Bruno Machado (16-9) vs Eduardo Garagorri (15-3)
SW Title – Valentina Escobar (6-0) vs Jacinta Austin (7-2)
WW Title – (C)Tahir Abdullaev (17-2) vs Khotam Boynazarov (9-0)
UAE Warriors 55 is proudly presented by Palms Sports and takes place on the 22nd of October live from the ADNEC Centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Available live on UFC Fight Pass and Abu Dhabi Sports TV at 19.00 Gulf Standard Time,11.00 ET, 08.00 PT