Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
UFC prospect Akbar Abdullaev’s promotional debut is reportedly in the works for one of the final cards of the year.
A one-punch knockout from Akbar Abdullaev led UFC CEO Dana White to call him one of the ‘greatest talents’ in the history of the Contender Series earlier this year. Abdullaev, a former ONE Championship standout, could potentially be one of the most dangerous prospects in the UFC lightweight division.
After successfully earning his UFC contract earlier this year, Abdullaev is foaming at the mouth for a shot at one of the division’s top contenders. White and the UFC matchmakers usually attempt to waste little time in booking DWCS winners for UFC debuts, and that appears to be the case with Abdullaev.
According to recent reports, Abdullaev’s UFC debut will take place against a fellow top prospect.
Akbar Abdullaev’s debut reportedly set for UFC Saudi Arabia
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As first reported by Ag.Fight, Abdullaev’s UFC debut is in the works for December 5th in Riyadh. Abdullaev will reportedly fight Mairon Santos on the card.
Santos will reportedly make the full-time move to lightweight after missing the featherweight limit ahead of his last fight against Muhammad Naimov last year. Santos went on to defeat Naimov by unanimous decision to remain unbeaten in his four-fight UFC tenure.
The former featherweight Santos won the The Ultimate Fighter 32 featherweight title by knocking out Kaan Ofli in August 2024. He went on to earn wins over Sodiq Yusuff and Francis Marshall before the Naimov fight.
Abdullaev vs. Santos adds to a stacked card at UFC Saudi Arabia next month. The card features the returns of fellow prospects Islam Dulatov and Hecher Sosa.
UFC Saudi Arabia is headlined by a middleweight matchup between former titleholder Israel Adesanya and Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov.
What are your expectations for Akbar Abdullaev’s UFC career? Share your thoughts in the comments!
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
