Outside Source
If Movsar Evloev can get past one more obstacle, he might finally receive the title shot he so desires.
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Evloev will square off against former Bellator MMA standout Aaron Pico in the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event on July 26, the Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Wednesday.
“If Movsar can get the victory, he will likely be the next contender for the title against Alexander Volkanovski,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a video on social media.
A former M-1 Global champion, Evloev is unbeaten in 19 professional appearances. His 9-0 UFC record includes notable triumphs over the likes of Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes and Dan Ige. The 31-year-old Russian has gone the distance in all of his victories inside the Octagon.
The 28-year-old Pico was one of the most celebrated newcomers in recent memory when he made his Bellator debut in 2017. While that ended in a first-round submission loss to Zach Freeman, Pico has continued to demonstrate improvement over the years, winning nine of his last 10 outings. Most recently, he scored a first-round stoppage of Henry Corrales at a PFL vs. Bellator event in February 2024.
“Aaron Pico is a ridiculously violent striker and a high-level grappler,” White said. “Pico has had hype behind him since he was a teenager because of his skill and fighting style, which people compare to the likes of Justin Gaethje or Dustin Poirier.”
UFC Abu Dhabi — also known as UFC on ABC 9 — takes place at Etihad Arena and is headlined by a middleweight showdown between ex-champ Robert Whittaker and former ONE Championship two-division title holder Reinier de Ridder.
Several other previously reported bouts were confirmed for the UFC Abu Dhabi main card: Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee at bantamweight; Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov at bantamweight; Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault at middleweight and Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov at light heavyweight.
Whittaker vs de Ridder is LIVE and FREE July 26th on @ABCNetwork! #UFCAbuDhabi@VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/aGEqTcvrT8
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 18, 2025
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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