One fighter set to compete at UFC Abu Dhabi needed just over a minute to put away a leading rival from the career of Jon Jones.
After staging its latest pay-per-view event in New Orleans, where Dustin Poirier retired against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 318, MMA’s leading promotion has headed back to the Middle East.
the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi once again plays host to UFC action this Saturday, and an significant showdown goes down in the headliner as Robert Whittaker meets the charging Reinier de Ridder at 185 pounds.
The stage will be set for their five-round clash by a number of notable names, including former bantamweight champion Petr Yan, the one-eyed Shara Magomedov, and a top-10 light heavyweight who was responsible for one of 2022’s most vicious knockouts.
Nikita Krylov brutally starched Alexander Gustafsson in the Swede’s last UFC fight
Nikita Krylov is currently slated to open the UFC Abu Dhabi main card on July 26, as ‘The Miner’ defends his No. 10 ranking against the powerful Bogdan Guskov.
While Guskov has a strong ability to put opponents away with his fists, Krylov is also no stranger to shutting the lights out – just ask Alexander Gustafsson.
The multi-time former UFC light heavyweight title challenger returned to 205 pounds at the UFC London event in July 2022 after a failed debut in the heavyweight division. ‘The Mauler’ was looking to regain some form after losing three on the bounce since knocking out Glover Teixeira. Instead, though, he fell to the same fate that he sent the Brazilian to five years earlier.Krylov put Gustafsson out in just 67 seconds dropping the Swedish fighter with an uppercut during a clinch exchange before sealing the deal with some unrelenting ground-and-pound.Gustafsson did not compete again before being released in December 2024.
Jon Jones named Alexander Gustafsson as the ‘best opponent’ from his UFC career
though Gustafsson finished his UFC career in disappointing and brutal fashion against Krylov, the fan favourite will still be fondly remembered for his wars inside the Octagon.
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