Travel issues have scuttled the planned five round co-main event between Nick Diaz and Vicente Luque at UFC Abu Dhabi early next month – but a replacement fight has already been secured.
UFC officials announced the news during Saturday’s UFC Vegas 94 broadcast. The fight had been expected to see Diaz enter the cage for the first time since a 2021 loss to Robbie Lawler. The bout is now expected to happen later this year.
In place of Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque, budding middleweight star “Shara Bullet” – Sharabutdin Magomedov (13-0) – is stepping in against Michał Oleksiejczuk (19-8, 1NC). The fight comes just over a month after Magomedov defeated Antonio Trocoli at UFC Saudi Arabia.
New co-main event alert 🚨
Shara Magomedov vs Michal Oleksiejczuk is coming to #UFCAbuDhabi@VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/4KaQgGkfXc
— UFC (@ufc) July 21, 2024
Magomedov, who forgoes traditional Dagestani wrestling in favor of a striking-heavy approach, remains undefeated, and has won his first two fights under the UFC banner.
Like Shara Bullet, Oleksiejczuk also competed in June, when he was submitted by Kevin Holland at UFC 302. The Polish star joined the UFC in 2017, initially as a light heavyweight, then moved to 185lbs in 2022, posting a 3-3 record in the weight class, with two Performance of the Night bonuses in that span.
UFC Abu Dhabi takes place August 3, 2024 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The following match-ups have been announced for the card:
- Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
- Shara Bullet vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
- Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godinez
- Joel Álvarez vs. Elves Brenner
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- Mohammad Yahya vs. Kauê Fernandes
- Shamil Gaziev vs. Don’Tale Mayes
- Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Guram Kutateladze
- Victoria Dudakova vs. Sam Hughes
- Azat Maksum vs. C.J. Vergara
- Jai Herbert vs. Rolando Bedoya
- Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin
