5 most memorable UFC moments to take place in Abu Dhabi

The UFC’s relationship with Abu Dhabi is a long-standing one, dating back to their first trip there in 2010, and since then, we’ve seen a number of memorable moments take place in the Middle East.

From big title changes to thrilling fights, Abu Dhabi has hosted plenty of bouts in the octagon that will live long in the memory.

Here are five of the most memorable UFC moments to take place in Abu Dhabi.

#5. Anderson Silva’s “virtuoso” performance – UFC 112 (2010)

Anderson Silva's performance in Abu Dhabi caused controversy [Image Credit: @spiderandersonsilva on Instagram]

The UFC’s first visit to Abu Dhabi took place way back in April 2010, and on paper, the event the promotion put on looked like it could be an all-time classic.

Unfortunately, after a largely entertaining undercard, the event ended in frustrating, if memorable fashion, with middleweight champion Anderson Silva to blame.

‘The Spider’ was supposed to defend his title against Vitor Belfort at the event, but when Belfort withdrew, grappler Demian Maia stepped in to replace him.

Evidently, the idea of fighting Maia didn’t really do a lot for Silva. ‘The Spider’ outclassed his fellow Brazilian in the first round, but rather than look to finish him off, essentially decided to play with his food for 25 minutes instead.

Instead of thrilling moments, the fans in attendance were treated to five rounds of dancing, taunting, and Silva playing air guitar, all while Maia simply couldn’t do anything in return.

In the end, Silva retained his crown, but an irate Dana White refused to present him with the gold – leaving it to his manager instead.

To say the whole thing was weird would be an understatement, but it remains one of the most memorable moments to take place in Abu Dhabi, as well as one of the more memorable moments of Silva’s storied career.

#4. Khamzat Chimaev’s back-to-back wins – UFC Fight Island 1 and 3 (2020)

Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the scene in Abu Dhabi in 2020 [Image Credit: @khamzat_chimaev on Instagram]

The UFC’s trip to Abu Dhabi this month will see Khamzat Chimaev face off with Kamaru Usman in the co-headliner, and if ‘Borz’ can win, a middleweight title shot could be within his grasp.

It’s been a dramatic rise to fame for the Chechen-born fighter, who only debuted in the octagon just over three years ago.

The way that Chimaev burst onto the scene, though, definitely stands out as one of the most memorable UFC moments to take place in Abu Dhabi.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic limiting their options, the summer of 2020 saw the promotion make multiple visits to the Middle East, often in quick succession.

When Chimaev debuted on the undercard of the ‘Fight Island 1’ event and easily dispatched John Phillips, very few fans raised an eyebrow. After all, Phillips was only 1-3 in the octagon at the time.

However, when ‘Borz’ returned literally ten days later to smash his way through Rhys McKee, it was hard not to be impressed.

Not only had Chimaev run through two opponents without barely taking a scratch, but he’d also set a modern promotional record in the process for the fastest consecutive wins.

Less than two months later, Chimaev was back to knock out Gerald Meerschaert, and the rest is basically history.

#3. Dustin Poirier knocks out Conor McGregor – UFC 257 (2021)

Dustin Poirier took revenge on Conor McGregor in Abu Dhabi in 2021 [Image Credit: @DustinPoirier on Twitter]

While they were eventually able to run a number of events during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no disputing that the situation took its toll on the UFC.

After all, beginning with the March 14, 2020 Fight Night event in Brazil, non-essential spectators were unable to attend any shows, as the octagon went behind closed doors for the best part of a year.

The first event to really welcome fans back was UFC 257 in January 2021, and the crowd in Abu Dhabi was treated to a huge headliner – the long-awaited rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

The two rivals had first faced off in a thrilling encounter in 2014 that saw ‘The Notorious’ dispatch Poirier via first-round TKO.

However, in their second bout, it was ‘The Diamond’ who enacted some revenge. After absorbing some big shots from McGregor, who hadn’t fought in a year, Poirier came back with his trademark pressure-boxing game and eventually put the Irishman down with a thudding combination in the second round.

It was the first time that McGregor had ever been stopped by strikes in MMA, and unsurprisingly, the win sent Poirier’s star into the stratosphere.

The event ended up pulling in over 1.5m buys on pay-per-view, making it one of the most successful in promotional history. Understandably given the nature of the headliner, it stands as one of Abu Dhabi’s more memorable moments.

#2. Islam Makhachev climbs to the summit – UFC 280 (2022)

Islam Makhachev claimed gold in Abu Dhabi in 2022 [Image Credit: @khabib_nurmagomedov on Instagram]

After Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA and vacated his UFC lightweight title, it didn’t take long for the attention of the fans to divert to his teammate and protégé, Islam Makhachev.

Long built up as the “new Khabib”, Makhachev had put together an octagon record of 7-1 when his teammate stepped away.

It didn’t take him long to improve that record to 11-1, though, and despite some fans doubting him, those wins were enough to earn him a shot at lightweight champ Charles Oliveira.

When the promotion announced the clash between Oliveira and Makhachev, it came as no surprise that the bout was scheduled for Abu Dhabi – the same place where Khabib hung up his gloves.

‘Do Bronx’ had been on a roll coming into the fight, but despite his wins over the likes of Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, when it came down to it, he was outclassed by the Dagestani.

Makhachev decked him with punches and followed up by submitting the great grappler with an arm triangle choke, ascending to the top of the lightweight mountain.

Whether Makhachev can retain his title against rival Alexander Volkanovski this month remains to be seen, but his victory definitely stands as one of the most memorable moments to take place in Abu Dhabi.

#1. Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement – UFC 254 (2020)

Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement in Abu Dhabi in 2020 [Image Credit: @khabib_nurmagomedov on Instagram]

Although he only fought there for the UFC twice, it’s arguable that the fighter who has the biggest link to Abu Dhabi while part of the roster was Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The former lightweight kingpin managed to defeat two of his toughest challengers in the Middle East, defending his title successfully against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

However, while his 2019 victory over ‘The Diamond’ was a truly brilliant performance that saw him submit his opponent in the third round, his win over Gaethje a year later was far more memorable.

The reason for that, of course, is what happened after the bout.

Khabib produced one of his best-ever showings to take out ‘The Highlight’. Despite eating some big shots, he eventually dragged Gaethje down and tapped him out with a triangle choke in the second round.

After the fight, though, few fans expected him to announce that he’d be vacating his title and hanging up his gloves immediately.

Khabib cited the death of his father, which took place a few months before the bout, and a request from his mother as his reasoning. And despite the pleas of Dana White, ‘The Eagle’ refused to change his mind and indeed, has never returned.

Due to his status as the only high-level UFC champion to never suffer a single defeat, the nature of his retirement was even more stirring, and so it stands as the promotion’s most memorable moment in Abu Dhabi.