Shara Magomedov rebounded from his first professional loss with a statement win over Marc-Andre Barriault, earning Fight of the Night honors at UFC Abu Dhabi. The middleweight matchup delivered non-stop action from start to finish, and the judges scored it unanimously in favor of Magomedov (30-27 x3). Both fighters pocketed an extra $50,000 for their performance.
“Magomedov brought the fire back to the Octagon. He controlled the tempo, stayed sharp under pressure, and handled Barriault’s physicality like a veteran. It was a war, and they both earned that bonus.”
The UFC Abu Dhabi Bonuses didn’t end there. On the prelims, Muslim Salikhov delivered a stunning Performance of the Night with a 42-second knockout of Carlos Leal. The veteran striker came out aggressive and flattened his opponent with a clean shot that ended the fight in seconds.
Steven Nguyen also claimed a Performance of the Night bonus after a dominant showing against Mohammad Yahya. Nguyen dropped Yahya six times before the bout was stopped at the end of the second round. The finish was relentless and clinical Nguyen showed composure and power beyond expectations.
“Nguyen didn’t just win; he broke records while doing it. Six knockdowns in one fight? That’s not just performance of the night, it’s a performance for the books.”
Meanwhile, the main event saw Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder battle it out in a gritty five-round war. Whittaker started strong, controlling range and landing sharp combinations, but De Ridder turned the tide in the second with a knee and takedown. The third round was chaos, Whittaker dropped De Ridder and nearly closed the show, but RDR weathered the storm and took control late. After 25 brutal minutes, De Ridder walked away with a split decision victory.
In the co-main, Petr Yan returned to form with a solid unanimous decision win over Marcus McGhee. Yan’s striking, footwork, and well-timed takedowns gave him the edge in a technical three-round battle. In all, four fighters left the Etihad Arena with extra checks and highlight moments.
