For Movar Evloev, the opportunity to co-headline a big UFC card from Abu Dhabi could help shape the rest of his career.
Evloev will take on former Bellator fighter and amateur wrestling standout Aaron Pico on July 26 when the promotion heads to the Ethiad Arena for an ABC card.
The main event will see former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker take on ex-ONE champion Reinier de Ridder.
For the unbeaten 31-year-old Russian, this will be the chance of a lifetime. He is coming off a decision victory over former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling, and is now 9-0 with the UFC.
“If Movsar can get the victory, he will likely be the next contender for the title against Alexander Volkanovski,” UFC CEO Dana White said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “Expect this fight to be an absolute war.”
Evloev also owns wins over Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes and Dan Ige, but all nine of his fights have gone the distance. He is a former M-1 Global champion where he scored seven finishes.
Pico will present a challenge, as the 28-year-old was an Olympic alternate in 2016 and is a former U17 world champion. He signed with the UFC after defeating Henry Corrales at PFL vs. Bellator in February 2024 where he improved to 13-4 overall.
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