UFC Abu Dhabi adds Bryce Mitchell – Said Nurmagomedov

Originally posted on Empire Sports Media
By Daniel Cunningham | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 11:52 AM ET

The UFC is heading to Abu Dhabi on July 26th and Dana White took to social media today to announce the full main card. One of the fights that he announced was a bantamweight matchup which features a previously ranked featherweight contender dropping down in weight. “Thug Nasty” Bryce Mitchell (17-3) will be dropping to 135 and he’ll be taking on Said Nurmagomedov (18-4).

Whittaker vs de Ridder is LIVE and FREE July 26th on @ABCNetwork! #UFCAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/aGEqTcvrT8
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 18, 2025

Starting with Mitchell, the news of his drop down comes on the heels of his loss to Jean Silva back in April. Mitchell started out his professional career 15-0 prior to losing to eventual featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Overall, Mitchell is 2-3 in his last five fights and he’s been finished in all three losses. Following this latest loss, he’s moving down to bantamweight for a fresh start.

He’ll take on Said Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov came into the UFC with an 11-1 record and started out 6-1 inside the octagon. However, he’s dropped two of his last three fights. The last time we saw him was back in February where he dropped a decision to Vinicius Oliveira. He’s hoping to get back in the win column and spoil the bantamweight debut of Bryce Mitchell.

This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.

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