Packed arena, fans from around the world: UFC delivers another big night in Abu Dhabi

While the Middle East is focused on the ongoing conflict, the scene outside Etihad Arena on Saturday evening told a different story. By the time I reached the venue at around 6.30pm, long queues had already formed outside the entrances. Fans wearing UFC shirts, carrying national flags and taking pictures with fighter posters waited to enter. Within an hour, the arena was full.

Earlier on Saturday, I had met supporters who had travelled from Oman, India, Kazakhstan, Poland, Ghana and Russia’s Dagestan. Some had driven for hours, while others had crossed continents just to spend one evening watching the UFC live. For the next six hours, the focus inside the arena was completely different. Outside, the headlines were about the conflict. Inside, conversations were about fighters, predictions, rivalries and title hopes.

Watching the action from the Octagon-side media seats reminded me why UFC is unlike any other sport I have covered. In football or cricket, there are moments when you can look away, reply to a message or speak to the person next to you without missing much. That cannot be done in the UFC.

I had always heard people say you cannot blink during a UFC fight. On Saturday, I understood why. I looked away twice during Ramazan Temirov’s flyweight bout. By the time I turned back, the fight was over. Temirov had already knocked out Steve Erceg in the first round.

That is what makes watching UFC live so different. One clean punch, one quick decision or one mistake can change everything in an instant.

The crowd added to the experience. Every strong punch, takedown and submission attempt brought a reaction. Some fighters received huge cheers, while others were booed, something I hadn’t expected. Whether they were cheering or booing, the fans were completely invested in what was happening inside the cage.

One of the biggest moments came after Magomed Chanco Zaynukov won on his UFC debut. During his post-fight interview, he spoke about the rivalry between his team and Ilia Topuria’s camp, saying his opponent had kept reminding him that he represented Topuria’s team but had forgotten that Zaynukov fought out of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team. The comment drew one of the loudest reactions of the night.

As the evening moved towards the main event, very few people left their seats. I stayed until Magomed Ankalaev’s post-fight interview, and even after several hours of action, the arena remained packed.

Inside the cage, the action matched the atmosphere. Ramazan Temirov produced one of the performances of the night with a first-round TKO of Steve Erceg. Magomed Chanco Zaynukov marked his UFC debut with a unanimous decision victory over Damian Rzepecki, while Rizvan Kuniev stopped Tyrell Fortune in the third round.

The night ended with Magomed Ankalaev stopping Bogdan Guskov by TKO in the fifth round of the main event. As the post-fight interview came to an end, fans slowly made their way out of Etihad Arena after nearly six hours of action. They had travelled from different parts of the world for one night of UFC, and they left after witnessing another packed fight night in Abu Dhabi.