Five reasons to watch UFC 242, with a title fight and Brazilians on the card

K. Nurmagomedov (left) facing D. Poirier (right). Photo: Reproduction/YouTube UFC

This Saturday morning will be busy for MMA enthusiasts. This weekend, Abu Dhabi welcomes the Ultimate delegation to hold the UFC 242, which will feature as its main event a title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov e Dustin poirier. The clash will be valid for the unification of the lightweight title (up to 70,3kg). The event starts at 11:15 am (Brasília time).

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One of the most anticipated events of the year, the UFC 242 will bring 13 fights to the public and, in addition to the title fight, will also represent Khabib's return to Ultimate after serving a nine-month suspension as a result of the episode involving the Irishman Conor McGregor, at UFC 229. In the episode, the Russian, after defeating his rival, jumped over the octagon railing and tried to attack one of Conor's trainers, causing widespread confusion in the place.

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Brazilians also have something to celebrate. On the main card, three fights will feature Brazilian representatives. In the first fight, Diego Ferreira faces Mairbek Taisumov. In the third fight, Davi ramos exchange forces with the Russian Islam makhachev and finally, Edson Barboza has a duel scheduled against Paul felder.

To get in the mood, our team selected five reasons to follow the UFC 242. Check out:

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1) Khabib and his hegemony

K. Nurmagomedov and his belt. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC

This Saturday, the public will be able to watch the return of a great athlete to the Octagon. Khabib, who over the years has proven himself to be an elite fighter, returns to MMA with the responsibility of defending, in addition to his belt, an unbeaten record in his career that has now lasted 27 fights.

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The Russian, who has never been defeated in a professional confrontation, will face an opponent who, for many, will be the biggest challenge of his career. With excellent wrestling and capable of taking any athlete in its category to the ground, the 'Eagle' will have to prove, once again, that it is capable of putting its strategy into play and surpassing its excellent performance in stand-up fighting, in addition to manage to nullify Dustin's takedown defenses.

This will be the second title defense for Khabib, who won his vacant title after beating To the fifth in a duel valid for UFC 223, in April of last year. If he emerges victorious, the Russian will complete his 28th victory in his career, which began in 2008.

2) Poirier and the chance to make history

D. Poirier wins lightweight belt. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook @ufc

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Dustin poirier You will experience one of the most important days of your life this weekend. The athlete will have the chance to go down in MMA history as 'the first man to defeat Nurmagomedov'. In most betting houses, 'Diamante' appears as the underdog for the confrontation and, perhaps, this is the biggest asset in the game for the North American.

Dustin arrives for the main fight with the intention of unifying the category title. The fighter won the interim belt offered by Ultimate to keep the category busy while the Russian served his suspension. By winning the belt, Poirier not only placed himself at the top of the category, but also convinced critics that he could indeed be a great challenge for Khabib, who has rarely been put in danger by an opponent.

To reach the status of champion, Poirier defeated great opponents who crossed his path. Among them, former division champions, Anthony Pettis and Eddie Alvarez, as well as Max Holloway, owner of the featherweight belt (up to 65,7 kg.), against whom the North American fought for the interim title.

If he beats Khabib, Dustin will have his fifth consecutive UFC victory.

3) Edson Barboza and the search for redemption

E. Barboza (photo) in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @ufc_brasil

One of the most dangerous athletes in the tumultuous lightweight division is the Brazilian Edson Barboza. Owner of heavy hands and a traditional round kick, which is capable of shaking any opponent, the fighter tries to recover from the defeat suffered by Justin gaethje at the beginning of the year.

For this weekend, the Friborg native agreed to go to Abu Dhabi and repeat a clash against Paul felder. The athletes have already faced each other once, in 2015, with the Brazilian winning the unanimous decision of the judges.

Barboza's situation in the division, however, is not so good. The fighter suffered three defeats in his last five fights. One of them, for the current linear champion, Khabib. If he defeats Felder, currently in 10th position in the category, the Brazilian dreams of returning to play against elite athletes in the category.

4) More Brazil on the card

D. Ramos will fight at UFC SP (Photo: Reproduction Facebook Davi ramos)

While, on the preliminary card, no representative from Brazil was scheduled to fight, on the main card, in addition to Edson Barboza, two more fighters will fly the green and yellow flag in Abu Dhabi.

The first Brazilian athlete to step into the octagon will be Diego Ferreira. With 17 fights in his professional career, the Amazon native will try to add his fifth consecutive victory in Ultimate against a very experienced opponent. Diego will face the Russian Mairbek Taisumov, who, at 31 years old, has already had 32 professional fights, with 27 triumphs and five setbacks. Ferreira's rival is undefeated in six fights and hasn't lost since 2014. The duel will be held at lightweight.

Davi ramos will be the second Brazilian fighter to perform in the UFC 242. With five fights and only one defeat in the UFC, the Rio native is trying to improve his fifth consecutive victory and dreams of entering the lightweight category once and for all. To do this, Ramos must go through the promising Islam makhachev, who only lost once in his career, in 18 clashes. The Russian comes from five consecutive victories and was defeated almost four years ago.

5) UFC returns to Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi City. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube byMonaco

Abu Dhabi is, in fact, a place that breathes martial arts. Known for hosting the famous jiu-jitsu world championship, the ADCC, tomorrow, the city will welcome 26 UFC athletes who will exchange forces in the Octagon.

This will be the third time that Ultimate arrives in the Emirates. The first time, back in 2010, at UFC 112, Anderson Silva, who still reigned in the organization, was responsible for starring in the main fight of the event. At the time, 'Spider' was the middleweight title holder (up to 83,9kg.) and faced his compatriot, Demian Maia, in the fight for the belt. In addition to Anderson and Maia, Renzo Gracie was on the preliminary card against Matt hugs; Besides Rafael dos Anjos, who fought against Terry emo.

The second time Ultimate was in Abu Dhabi, in 2014, another Brazilian was chosen to be one of the protagonists of the event. Rodrigo Minotauro, former heavyweight champion (up to 120,2 kg.), exchanged forces against the folkloric Roy Nelson. On that occasion, the Tupiniquim ended up being knocked out by the North American in the first round.

The UFC's move to the Emirates involves the company's management's interest in conquering the region and expanding its business. Recently, the company signed an agreement to hold one event per year at the location until 2023. Khabib's choice to star in the card was also influenced by the athlete's religion, which is Muslim and brings together a large number of practitioners among the local public. .