Reports say UFC prospect Akbar Abdullaev’s promotional debut will be on Dec. 5 in Riyadh against Mairon Santos.
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UFC prospect Akbar Abdullaev is reportedly close to making his Octagon debut, with reports placing the fight on Dec. 5 in Riyadh.
According to those reports, Abdullaev will take on Mairon Santos on the card at UFC Saudi Arabia.
The matchup is expected to mark Abdullaev’s first UFC fight after he earned a UFC contract earlier this year following a Contender Series run that prompted UFC CEO Dana White to describe him as one of the “greatest talents” in the history of the event.
Santos, who previously competed at featherweight, is reportedly expected to move full-time to lightweight after missing the featherweight limit ahead of his most recent bout against Muhammad Naimov last year.
In that Naimov fight, Santos won by unanimous decision and remained unbeaten across his four-fight UFC run.
Santos also captured the The Ultimate Fighter 32 featherweight title in August 2024 by knocking out Kaan Ofli, then followed with wins over Sodiq Yusuff and Francis Marshall before the Naimov bout.
UFC Saudi Arabia is headlined by a middleweight matchup between former titleholder Israel Adesanya and Shara “Bullet” Magomedov, with the card also including the returns of fellow prospects Islam Dulatov and Hecher Sosa.
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