Date, broadcast info for UFC's return to Abu Dhabi, Roy Nelson vs. 'Big Nog' headliner
NEW YORK – The UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi, which includes a heavyweight headliner between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (34-8-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) and Roy Nelson (19-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC), now has a date and broadcast plan.
A UFC official today told MMAjunkie the event, which is likely to be a UFC Fight Night show, will take place April 11. The entire event streams on UFC Fight Pass, the organization’s digital network.
A venue hasn’t been finalized, and as with the UFC’s first trip to Abu Dhabi in 2010, it could take place at a temporary/newly built venue.
MMAjunkie passed along news of the event and headliner earlier today, though other details weren’t immediately available.
The UFC hasn’t been to the United Arab Emirates since UFC 112 in 2010, which included a championship doubleheader (and heavy criticism for then-middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who showboated and disengaged during much of his five-round headliner with challenger Demian Maia). The UFC has teased a potential return to Abu Dhabi in recent years, though such plans never materialized until now.
Officials will announce additional bouts in the coming weeks.
