ABU DHABI: Mohammad Yahya, the first Emirati to compete in the UFC, will make his return to take on Brazilian Kaue Fernandes for a lightweight battle on Aug. 3 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Yahya made history last year when he signed with the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization and debuted in the UAE capital in October at UFC 294. The 30-year-old will now return to fight in front of his home fans for the event headlined by a match in the bantamweight division, as American Cory Sandhagen takes on undefeated Russian Umar Nurmagomedov.
Yahya holds an overall record of 12-4 and has extensive experience fighting in the region — particularly with UAE Warriors. Twelve of his sixteen professional fights have taken place in the UAE and he can expect another strong backing from his home crowd. He will be looking to earn his first win in the UFC in arguably the organization’s most competitive division.
Brazil’s Fernandes will also be making his second UFC appearance this August. The 29-year-old holds an 8-2 record, and like Yahya will be looking for his first win inside the Octagon.
No. 2-ranked Sandhagen has fought on Yas Island twice — picking up bonuses on both occasions — firstly a performance of the night in defeating Marlon Moraes in 2020, followed up with a fight of the night for his battle with Petr Yan for the interim bantamweight title a year later.
Nurmagomedov (17-0), currently ranked No. 10 in the division, made his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi, securing a performance of the night bonus in stopping Sergey Morozov. He has gone on to win four further fights and is considered one of the rising stars in the 135-pound class.
