There is a clear winner in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi as two top Middleweights clash on July 26.
Reinier de Ridder faces his biggest test in the UFC yet as he battles former Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker, with both men having an eye on a future title shot.
Elsewhere, the co-main event pits Petr Yan against Marcus McGhee in what could be an explosive fight in the Bantamweight division.
These are the top two fights on a card that features some of the UFC’s most exciting fighters, as we are just weeks away from a massive card for UFC 319 on August 16.
The Bloody Elbow staff has made their predictions about what will happen at UFC Abu Dhabi, including the two main event fights as well as the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonus winners
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Robert Whittaker vs Reinier de Ridder prediction
- Jamie Theodosi: Robert Whittaker
- Harvey Leonard: Robert Whittaker
- Ross Markey: Robert Whittaker
- Kyle Diamond: Robert Whittaker
The main event of UFC Abu Dhabi looks to be an even fight, although the experts have unanimously picked Whittaker to get back into title contention with a big win here.
Whittaker has admitted he only has four fights left in his career to get another title shot, hopefully retiring after a fifth and final fight as the world Middleweight champion.
While RDR is undefeated in his first three UFC bouts, the experts think that he does not have enough to beat the motivated Whittaker, who is one of the great Middleweight fighters of his era.
The fight should be a close one, but Whittaker should keep his title hopes alive with a win over RDR.
Petr Yan vs Marcus McGhee prediction
- Jamie Theodosi: Petr Yan
- Harvey Leonard: Petr Yan
- Ross Markey: Petr Yan
- Kyle Diamond: Petr Yan
The co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi pits Petr Yan against the man who has been undefeated since his debut in the UFC, Marcus McGhee.
“The Maniac” has had three impressive fights so far in his UFC career, with two knockout wins followed by a unanimous decision victory over Jonathan Martinez at UFC 309 to earn him a shot against a former champion in Yan.
Yan has previously held the UFC Bantamweight title, and the Bloody Elbow experts expect him to go one more step towards another title shot with a win over his American opponent.
Yan is on a two-fight win streak of his own, with wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figuiredo giving him the confidence to put away McGhee on July 26.
Fight of the Night
- Jamie Theodosi: Nikita Krylov vs Bogdan Guskov
- Harvey Leonard: Petr Yan vs Marcus McGhee
- Ross Markey: Nikita Krylov vs Bogdan Guskov
- Kyle Diamond: Petr Yan vs Marcus McGhee
Both Harvey and Kyle are backing Petr Yan to get the Fight of the Night bonus, after predicting him to win the bout that they think will get the prize for the match-up at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Despite a string of decisions that have not always gone his way, Yan can bring the fight to anyone and will put on an entertaining bout as he takes on McGhee in the co-main event.
However, Jamie and Ross are excited to see Nikita Krylov vs Bogdan Guskov. Krylov is looking to bounce back from a brutal KO against Dominick Reyes back in April, and we’re yet to find out how he will react to such a devastating defeat.
He faces a deadly finisher in Guskov, whose last three fights have ended in three very different finishes, all to give him the victory. He has all the tools to put away Krylov in any way he sees fit, which could lead to one of the best fights on July 26.
Performance of the Night
- Jamie Theodosi: Petr Yan
- Harvey Leonard: Sharabutdin Magomedov
- Ross Markey: Marcus Buchecha
- Kyle Diamond: Marcus Buchecha
There is a more eclectic mix of choices from the Bloody Elbow experts as they make their picks for the Performance of the Night at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Jamie is once again backing Yan, who looks to be the big star coming out of the event if these predictions are anything to go by.
However, Harvey is backing Sharabutdin Magomedov to shine in his main card bout against Marc-Andre Barriault. The Russian may be coming off a loss in his last fight, but his two spectacular knockout wins in previous fights could be what he is basing that prediction on.
Lastly, Kyle and Ross both back Marcus Buchecha in his preliminary fight against Martin Buday to stamp his authority on the promotion on his UFC debut.
The Brazilian comes into the fight with a 5-1 record in ONE and a long and storied career in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making him a good contender to impress on his debut.