With the scheduled joint home event being cancelled, the UFC's return to Abu Dhabi's return event has been a hit.
On July 26, the Prime Minister's promotion will return to Abu Dhabi for another incredible battle night event, a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder.
UFC boss Dana White also confirmed that the co-event would be a five-round lightweight battle between unbeaten Movsar Evloev and promotional newcomer Aaron Pico.
White later confirmed that if Evloev could beat Pico, he would fight for his own battle for a lightweight title, which Alexander Volkanovski currently ruled.
Steve Marcus/Getty Images
Evloev, who exited UFC Abu Dhabi due to injury
But, unfortunately, the Red Corner MMA reportedly withdrawing from the fight due to injury, which was reportedly an incredible showdown.
According to their sources, Evlov had to quit due to the damage or health he suffered in a battle camp in Thailand.
At this point, it is unclear whether the promotion is looking for a delayed notification replacement for PICO, or whether they will also remove him from the event and reschedule the fight completely.
Volkanovski has not yet booked his next championship defense after rumors suggesting it will face Yair Rodriguez, though he made it clear that he wanted to fight Evloev.
UFC Abu Dhabi card lost for the first time in the Movsar Evloev vs Aaron Pico battle. According to our information, Evlov had to quit due to the damage or health he suffered in a battle camp in Thailand. pic.twitter.com/8tycbssx0a
– Red Corner MMA (@redcorner_mma) July 14, 2025
View Tweets
UFC Abu Dhabi is still a strong brand on paper
Despite the loss of the joint home event, the UFC Abu Dhabi card is still a very intense battle night on paper.
Shara Magomedov returned to action when he was all-around Marc-Andre Barriault, while former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan was also competing against the surge in Marcus McGhee.