Bout 14 - LW TITLE Amru Magomedov © 8-0 vs Alex da Silva 24-5
Magomedov is one of the best lightweight prospects in the world today and always seems to be on the brink of going to the UFC with his coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov tagging him as a future UFC champion quite some time ago. With five first-round finishes, one of which was against Jumaev when he secured the belt, he defended it by choking-out Kabdulla in the second-round last July.
Not only is he ridiculously talented as a wrestler, he’s an exciting and dynamic striker who puts on scintillating finishes like the knock-out of Bolkvadze in his promotional debut. But Leko has found a rich vein of form after three years of cancelled fights and losses in the UFC, the latter perhaps being bouts he had little choice in refusing.
Dropping his promotional debut to Magomedov’s teammate, Makkasharip Zaynukov, he is now on a three-fight winning streak, looking sensational at UAEW 44 against Bagysh Zhamamatov whom he submitted in 60 seconds and even that was after finishing Mashrapov with the fists at UAEW 42.
Most recently he took the decision against Kamavov at UAEW 46, another Khabib pupil, making Amru his third opponent from the Dagestani camp. He has the submission defence to cause Magomedov problems and while they seem to be equally well-matched on the feet, Alex has never been KO’d but has 14 knockout victories of his own. Impossible to call and a superb main event title fight.
Bout 13 - BW Rany Saadeh 14-4 vs Hikaru Yoshino 13-5
After securing the fastest submission in UAEW history last May, former BAMMA champ Saadeh now has two first-round heel hook wins on his promotional resumé. No-one has found his chin yet thanks to lovely angles, elusive movement and damaging sniper-like counters.
A BJJ black belt, he has an electric scramble which sometimes gets him out of jail when he finds himself out of position, but his opponent here has superb submission defence and is often one step ahead of his opponent on the horizontal.
Hikaru is a southpaw who can be a bit wild coming forward with punches in bunches, just like he did against Lokdog at UAEW 39 and got clocked. Strong in the clinch with good short work on the inside, he’s used to winning the overhook battles and has a powerful koshi waza.
Now 1-2 with us, this ONE FC, Rizin and Deep veteran could do with a win. Their fighting styles indicate this 19th fight for both athletes could either take place in the phone booth or one of them is taking an ankle home.
Bout 12 - LW Magomed Zaynukov 6-0 vs Shakhmar Sadygov 6-0-1
One of two undefeated prospects will enter the red column for the first time. Zaynukov is another undefeated Dagestani prospect who continues to thrive amongst his Club Nurmagomedov teammates and now gets a chance to showcase his superb Muay Thai striking, particularly his knees and elbows within the clinch.
Took the UD last year in a bloody war against Poles who he pieced-up over three rounds at UAEW 51 where he showed that he prefers to keep it standing, which explains why he has never won by submission.
Sadygov stepped-in on short notice against the far-more experienced and highly-talented Jumaev at UAEW 54 and looked a revelation, taking the split decision. Trains alongside compatriot Rafael Fiziev at Tiger Muay Thai and boasts of four first-round stoppages in his last 8 bouts. Like his opponent, prefers to keep it standing and though his kickboxing is sometimes less orthodox, it is highly-effective nonetheless and he also has a lot of options off his back. Incredible fight.
Bout 11 - FLW Victor Nunes 10-5 vs Genil Francisco 14-10
Victor’s sixth fight with us, the last being that incredible first-round KO of Abzakh but it is the walk-off knockout of Aziz Uulu at UAEW 20 that is perhaps his best highlight reel finish. A BJJ black belt with KO power in both hands, he trains at Team 777 as well as with Bruno Machado at Cobra but was previously with the Pitbull Brothers before leaving Brazil thereafter becoming a pupil of Master Bitta.
The southpaw Juego-Todo fighter Francisco shocked everyone when he choked-out Shamil Magomedov (the only time it has happened in 5 years) on promotional debut at UAEW 36 but has since dropped two in-a-row here. An eclectic fighter whose majority of wins have been by submission, he likes to get it done quickly. A well-conditioned mainstay of Alpha One in Antipolo, his team are asking for a title shot if he gets past Nunes. Very. Big. If.
Bout 10 - FLW Rashid Vagabov 12-2 vs Denis Araujo 23-6
Often finding himself on the same card as his sparring partner and our main-eventing champion Amru Magomedov, Rashid is a UAE Warriors standout whose last three appearances in Abu Dhabi ended by him taking the tap in the first. An exciting all-rounder, his kickboxing is as good as his grappling and has the ability in tricky circumstances to grind out a win which is just what he may have to do against the equally durable Araujo.
On a five-fight winning streak, Jungle Fight’s former flyweight champion is a seasoned campaigner and has a very broad skillset. His go-to sub is the anaconda but he targets the ribs often in his kickboxing. His first loss was to Deiveson Figueiredo and boasts 13 stoppages though most of his wins come from the scorecards. Born in Sergipe he trains with BJJ Champ Cristiano Lazzarini in Minas Gerais.
Bout 9 - FW Akbarjon Islomboev 9-1 vs Daan Duijs 10-2
Tashkent-born Russian, Akbarjon Islomboev who is based at Tam Khan’s outfit in Dubai, has never been finished and with just one loss by decision, he is a fast-paced guard-passer with ionic cardio and stifling top-control. With more success on the feet, ‘Uzbek’ also provides a massive grappling challenge and looked in top form in his win against Ben Royle in their promotional debuts last year at UAEW 55.
He now faces Dutch black-belt Judoka, Duijs, whose six out of ten victories have been subs, but training with Germaine de Randamie and Ilias Bulaid you would expect his striking to be more than respectable as well. And it is. He can sit opponents down with his jab, time his crosses sweetly on the counter with an overland left that can fell timber. A handful in-guard with a truly disgusting triangle, Islomboev slipping counters and passing on the canvas is crucial to his survival.
Bout 8 - MW Abdurakhman Alimagomedov 11-1 vs Imran Taysultanov 6-1
Another truly fascinating Tobet Top Team vs Nurmagomedov School matchup, the last one of course being Amru vs Ali at UAEW 51. Alimagomedov is a central component of his fight team, sparring regularly with UAE Warriors alumni such as Alkhasov, Nabiev, Bilarov and several Ziyaudinovs. A cracking wrestler with BJJ golds from the AJP Tour, his only loss was to the undefeated (and another UAEW athlete) Samandar Murodov at Eagle FC back in ‘21.
The ‘Lion of Dagestan’ has been working hard to shake-off any cage rust resulting from over 3 years of inactivity but will have to be on his toes from the first bell against the fast-starting Naiza vet from Kazakhstan, Taysultonov who has never been the distance.
His only loss was in his last bout in a very competitive title challenge which went south in the third, eventually losing by TKO but every single one of this GAMMA champions victories were finishes in the first round. A Pankration World Champion he is in his element teaching the kids classes at Erkin Kush in Aktobe.
Bout 7 - BW Eduardo Mora 9-5 vs Abdul Hussein 11-2
Mora is a Sambo specialist well-known throughout South America but currently lives in Abu Dhabi where he is coach at ADMA. A former Brave fighter, ‘El Burro’ (The Donkey) is coming-off two first-round finishes and hasn’t been the distance in over six years but displayed a penchant in his amateur career for swift and consecutive submission wins.
His opponent, Abdul Hussein, came into his debut Warriors fight last July with a reputation for having the silkiest of submissions skills, and boy did he prove it by taking a first-round tap from Mahmoud Abd El Raouf, following that up with a second-round TKO of Samota two months later.
After a truly sensational undefeated amateur career in which he became both the IMMAF World and European Champ, his only pro losses have been to the Honey Badger and Muhammad Mokaev, the latter with whom he went the distance.
Bout 6 - HW Gadzhi Abdulkadirov 5-1 vs Michel Góes 4-0
Gadzhi is a Dagestani fighter who has never been submitted but the majority of his wins have been by KO. He comes up against the undefeated Góes, a BJJ Black belt and tactical armed security specialist who has finished all of his fights in the first round with all but one by TKO.
Bout 5 - BW Annie Thatcher 3-1 vs Cláudia Leite 8-3
Thatcher has an extensive and undefeated amateur career with a slew of titles including the GAMMA Oceania belt. Trains with Denis Kelly in Melbourne where she has a good boxing record though her last fight resulted in a first-round armbar win. Has a 100% finishing rate, all in the first round.
Cláudia looked great taking the UD against Ferreira at UAEW48 last year after being unlucky to lose a razor-thin close split decision at DWCS. Has a pro career twice as long as Annie, and with that Luta Livre style of the Astra team coming-up against Thatcher’s counter-striking, this one should be highly-entertaining.
Bout 4 - WW Ulugbek Rakhmonov 1-0 vs Amir Hossein Alipour 2-1
Making his debut is Rakhmonov, a powerful Uzbek grappler who medalled at the GAMMA worlds and trains with our current welter champ, Khotam Boynazarov. He takes on one the best welterweight grapplers from Iran, Amir Hossein Alipour who hails from Juybar, a city known as the Koshti capital of the country. Claimed the massive scalp of Robson Gracie Jr who he beat-up and took the UD win from last year at UAEW55.
Bout 3 - CW88 Imamshafi Aliev 9-1 vs Pedro Oliviera 8-3
Aliev is coming-off the only loss of his career, which was a decision dropped to the undefeated Bellator grappling phenom Jordan Newman. Up to that point, he was on a serious roll with the highlight reel retirement-inducing KO of Pim Kusters at UAEW 15 perhaps the best out of his 3 previous victories with us in as many bouts. Going 1-1 in Bellator with several cancelled bouts, fans should be happy to see him back here because his grappling and compact kickboxing thoroughly deserves a platform. In 12 professional bouts no-one has been able to finish Oliveira.
A true Ronin who collects promotional appearances like Funko Pops, he took the CDL Middleweight title last year with a TKO finish thirty seconds in the first. Still gaining experience having fought consistently since turning pro just over four years ago, he finishes many of his fights with his clinch work but as you’d expect from a CM Systems fighter his BJJ is quality.
Training at Cristiano Marcello’s academy in Curitiba with the likes of Adriano Martins, Elizeu Capoeira and Luan Chagas he is incredibly well-drilled with a powerful and athletic physique, a perfect middleweight, though this bout is at catch. A fascinating scrap that could easily be a main card feature goes to show how deep this card really is.
Bout 2 WW Khaled Taraf 2-1 vs Smit Steyn 2-0
Khaled is a Lebanese fighter based out of ADMA here in Abu Dhabi and got the chance to show his Muay Thai background with a great first-round KO on his debut with us against the more-experienced Talabani at UAEW52. Ever-improving on the ground, his victory prior to that was by armbar. Compatriot and Warriors vet Mohamad Osseili is a big fan.
Steyn is an exciting fighter who has lately fought infrequently due to injury, but always makes the walk looking to finish the job as soon as possible. With a lengthy amateur record, the only man to have beaten the massive unit British Boloyoang by TKO prefers to get it done with the fists, but the ground work at Dominators Den in Secunda has paid off and these days he can handle matters off his back too.
Bout 1 - BW Kurban Zaynukov 2-0 vs Elkhan Hasanov 3-1
Team Nurmagomedov’s Kurban Zaynukov turned professional just last year after 21 amateur fights over an incredible 2-year timeframe, of which he lost only two (one was to Asaf Chopurov), winning the overwhelming majority by decision.
Made his debut with us last September and submitted one of the best bantams in Kyrgyzstan, Syimyk Makhmedov. He now faces Azeri debutante and all-rounder Hasanov who moves up from flyweight, and whose only loss was to a fifth-round gilly well over a year ago
