The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has put together a beast of a
main card for its return to Abu Dhabi this fall.

On Wednesday, the organization announced
the full five-fight slate for the main card of
UFC on ABC 7. The fights will be held at the Etihad Arena in
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 3. Headlining the card
will be the previously booked bantamweight showdown of Cory
Sandhagen vs. Umar
Nurmagomedov. Additionally, the UFC confirmed the bantamweight
battle between Marlon Vera
and Deiveson
Figueiredo. Three other newly released matchups will round out
the billing.

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In the co-headliner spot, Nick Diaz
(26-10, 2 NC) will make his return to the Octagon in the
welterweight division. The 40-year-old Cesar
Gracie Fight Team staple will stand across the cage from
Vicente
Luque in a five-round affair. This will be Diaz’ first fight
since facing Robbie
Lawler at UFC 266 in 2021, and only his third appearance in the
last 10 years. With decision losses to Carlos
Condit and Georges St.
Pierre in 2012 and 2013, respectively, Diaz’ lone additional
bout came against Anderson
Silva at UFC 183 in what turned into a no contest when both
fighters failed post-fight drug tests. The former Strikeforce champ has not won since defeating B.J. Penn at UFC
137 in 2011.

Brazil’s Luque has struggled as of late as well, although he did
get his hand raised once in 2023. In his last four outings, Luque
was punched out by Joaquin
Buckley and Geoff Neal,
while dropping a decision to Belal
Muhammad. Interspersed between those losses was a five-round
triumph over Rafael dos
Anjos. As one of seven 170-pounders with at least 15 wins in
the UFC, Luque holds the No. 2 spot for finishes at the division
with 13, while trailing Matt Brown’s
15.

Further down the card, Tony
Ferguson (25-10) will make what the UFC called his potentially
last appearance at the age of 40 when he fights fellow aging vet
Michael
Chiesa (16-7). The two welterweights have lost their last
combined 10 fights, with Ferguson on a record-tying winless streak
of seven while Chiesa has dropped three in a row. Before losing
seven consecutive outings, Ferguson amassed a win streak of 12 that
included nine stoppages while beating names including Anthony
Pettis, dos Anjos and Donald
Cerrone. His opponent Chiesa’s longest victorious stretch in
the UFC came when he took out Condit, Diego
Sanchez, dos Anjos and Neil Magny to
earn a crack at Luque, only to get tapped in the first round with a
brabo choke.

Finally, strawweights will take the cage as Mackenzie
Dern (13-5) throws down with Lupita
Godinez (12-4) in matchup with top-10 ramifications. Vaunted
grappler Dern will try to turn things around after falling short in
back-to-back matchups against Jessica
Andrade and Amanda
Lemos. While she has not landed one since armbarring Nina Nunes in
2021, Dern still holds the UFC strawweight record for the most
submissions (four). Godinez saw her four-fight win streak come to a
grinding halt against Virna
Jandiroba in March. With
26 takedowns landed in her 115-pound tenure, Godinez is good
for the third-most in the division behind Claudia
Gadelha (36) and Carla
Esparza (45).

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

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