This August, see the the first Emirati to compete in the UFC® at Etihad Arena on Yas Island
Mohammad Yahya, the first Emirati to compete in the UFC®, will make his
return to the Octagon® to take on Brazilian Kaue Fernandes on August 3 at the Etihad
Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Yahya made history last year when he signed with the world 39;s largest mixed martial arts
organisation and debuted in the UAE capital in October at UFC® 294: MAKHACHEV vs.
VOLKANOVSKI 2.
The 30-year-old will now return to fight in front of his home fans as he takes on Kaue
Fernandes in a lightweight battle at UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: SANDHAGEN vs.
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 organisation’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.
The night will be headlined by a pivotal clash in the bantamweight division as American Cory
Sandhagen takes on undefeated Russian Umar Nurmagomedov. Both fighters will be
familiar to the Abu Dhabi fans having fought in the Emirate previously.
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 135lbs class.
