The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to visit the United Arab Emirates this weekend with a Fight Night card, and the organization is actively populating the October Abu Dhabi pay-per-view event with “substantial competitors”.
The organization revealed Thursday that Aleksandar Rakic will have an opportunity to break a three-bout losing streak at UFC 321 on Oct. 25, when he clashes with undefeated Russian prospect Azamat Murzakanov.
Rakic is currently positioned at No. 8 in the 205-pound division according to the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while the ascendant Murzakanov is presently ranked at No. 11.
UFC also formally confirmed a heavyweight contest between Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida, initially reported by MMA Fighting. The main event for UFC 321 features Tom Aspinall’s initial defense of the undisputed heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane.
Rakic (14-5) experienced a remarkable beginning in the promotion, securing six victories in seven appearances between 2017 and 2021, with his sole defeat being a split decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir. His career trajectory shifted after sustaining a leg injury against Jan Blachowicz in 2022. The injury necessitated a prolonged rehabilitation period, and Rakic returned to competition in 2024, suffering losses to former and future champions Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev.
Murzakanov (15-0) has achieved five consecutive wins within the UFC, most recently highlighted by a first-round knockout of Brendson Ribeiro this past June. The Brave CF openweight tournament victor also holds a stoppage win against future PFL season finalist Matheus Scheffel on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Three additional matchups have been officially announced for UFC 321: Azat Maksum (15-2) versus Mitch Raposo (9-3) (flyweight), Ikram Aliskerov (16-2) versus Jun Yong Park (19-6) (middleweight), and Hamdy Abdelwahab (6-1, 1 NC) versus Chris Barnett (23-9) (heavyweight).
