ABU DHABI – UAE Warriors is back with another exciting weekend of international mixed martial arts action. “UAE Warriors 43: Arabia” and UAE Warriors 44 will take place on August 25 and 26, respectively, live from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and available worldwide on UFC Fight Pass and on Abu Dhabi Fight in the UAE.
In true UAE Warriors fashion, this double-header of events will showcase and provide a platform to some of the best fighters of Arabian heritage as well as hosting a spectrum of highly touted prospects from the world over.
Headlining UAE Warriors 44 will be a vacant UAE Warriors lightweight title fight between the undefeated Amru Magomedov (6-0) and UFC veteran Alex da Silva (22-5). The duo will compete for the title vacated by Brazilian legend Bruno Machado following his recent retirement.
Hailing from the renowned Nurmagomedov team, Magomedov has an unblemished record in MMA having won all six of his professional bouts. The 24-year-old won his UAE Warriors debut thanks to a first round TKO win over Ruslan Bolkvadze back in 2021 and, most recently, scored a first-round submission victory over the previously undefeated Renan Oliveira.
Magomedov now faces the toughest test in his young career in the shape of “Leko” da Silva. The 27-year-old competed in the UFC four times between 2019 and 2022 but has since found a new home in UAE Warriors. In his last fight in May he secured a TKO win over Ali Mashrapov to earn his spot to challenge for the title.
Canada’s Xavier Alaoui (14-4) meets “Road to UFC” vet Baergeng Jieleyisi (14-5) of China in the co-main event of the evening. Alaoui is the current UAE Warriors Arabia bantamweight champion, while Jieleyisi comes in to make his promotional debut after narrowly missing out on the UFC.
Elsewhere on the card, Egypt’s Eslam Syaha (14-2) faces Sweden’s Robin “Pretty Boy” Roos (6-3) in an exciting middleweight clash, Uzbekistan’s Furkatbek Yokubov (8-3) welcomes RIZIN and DEEP veteran Yamato Fujita (9-4) in to make his UAE Warriors debut, and the “Karate Kid” Joevincent So (10-4) goes head-to-head with the popular Welshman Aaron Aby (14-7).
At “UAE Warriors 43: Arabia” we will see a champion vs. champion winner takes all bout between UAE Warriors Arabia welterweight champ Badreddine Diani (6-2) and UAE Warriors Africa champ Wisem Hammami (7-1).
Both titles are on the line in this thrilling co-main event clash, being also a rematch of the 2022 contest which saw Hammami walk away the victory. Since then, Diani has won two straight including a successful defense of his Arabia title in his most recent outing against Abdullah Boushehri, while Hammami is returning from a 13-month layoff.
More bouts will be confirmed in the coming days.
