We are on absolute fire right now!
We’re now riding four straight UFC cards with profit, going 14-3 in bets, and +11.3583 Units over the last month. That puts us at +3.4943 Units on the year after grinding away in the first half of 2026. Can we keep the streak going? We’re going to do our absolute best to keep the betting win streak going at UFC Abu Dhabi.
UFC Abu Dhabi features a solid main event between Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov, while the co-main features the return of Steve Erceg and the exciting prospect Ramazon Temirov. The card is stacked with solid matchups and a high probability of finishes, so let’s take a look at the main card, and don’t forget to check back later in the week for our UFC Abu Dhabi best bets.
UFC Abu Dhabi Main Card Breakdown
Ismael Bonfim
2.64
1.50
Axel Sola
Ismael Bonfim hasn’t seen the same success as his brother, but in terms of athleticism and pure skill, he’s a solid fighter. He’s well-rounded, has moments of success, and his best win was in his UFC debut against Terrance McKinney. The problem is he’s 2-3 in the UFC, and finds himself giving up when faced with adversity. All three of his losses are finishes. He was finished via rear-naked choke, another via doctor stoppage, and his most recent fight via ground and pound. Skill only gets you so far in the UFC, and there’s another mountain to climb at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Axel Sola proved a lot in a loss against Mason Jones last time out. He came into the UFC as the Ares champion with four title defenses, and after finishing Rhys McKee in his debut, he dropped a competitive fight to Jones. He fights with high pressure, lands good counters, and can take an absolute beating. There are some concerns that he’s returning too soon, but he wasn’t finished and put up a fight till the very end.
The glaring difference between Bonfim and Sola is their ability to fight through damage and adversity. While we’ve seen Bonfim succumb to the pressure, Sola was able to battle through. Bonfim has the skill to win this fight, but it will likely need takedowns and control on the ground. If he can find the submission, that looks like his best path to victory. Outside of that, Sola should be able to dominate on the feet with his pressure and power, while Bonfim will need to maintain a similar pace to compete.
Rizvan Kuniev
1.33
3.40
Tyrell Fortune
Rizvan Kuniev forced the UFC to cut Jailton Almeida after his last fight, one of the brightest heavyweight prospects in the last five years. He was very competitive against Curtis Blaydes, and some thought he won that fight too. It isn’t pretty, but the way Kuniev makes reads and adjusts as the fight goes on makes him a high-level fighter. He’s 1-1 in the UFC, but 14-3-1 overall and had his fair share of drug-related incidents before going clean.
Tyrell Fortune won a controversial fight against Marcin Tybura in his UFC debut, but he has an opportunity to prove he belongs. He’s a Bellator veteran at 13-2 with the promotion and is 18-3 overall. He’s a bit of a wild striker but has heavyweight-style power and relies mostly on his wrestling. Despite the heavy wrestling, he’s not the best grappler and relies mostly on control and ground-and-pound.
Kuniev has a massive advantage on the feet, and he should be able to keep this fight standing. Fortune will need to land big, but Kuniev hasn’t been hurt at any point in his UFC career. Blaydes is a far better striker, and Kuniev held his own in that fight. Fortune will need to force the fight to the ground and chain wrestle as much as possible. It will be hard to get Kuniev to the ground and keep him there, but it looks like Fortune’s only path to victory. Kuniev will have the technical advantage on the feet, and he will do everything he can to keep it there at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Magomed Zaynukov
1.30
3.60
Damian Rzepecki
Magomed Zaynukov, or John Pork, is one of the few highly-anticipated fighters making their way to Abu Dhabi. This will be his UFC debut, but he set a record on Dana White’s Contender Series for significant strikes.
He’s a Muay Thai world champion who joined the Nurmagomedov camp later in his career. Memes and social media aside, Zaynukov has creative strikes in the pocket, throws with intent, and seems to have solid IQ despite his short MMA stint so far at 8-0.
Damian Rzepecki is no walk in the park. He’s 10-0 outside the UFC and makes his debut against a highly-touted prospect. He’s just 24 years old, but he also has solid kickboxing, uses his feet well, and can land with solid power. While he comes from an unknown organization, he absolutely dominated the competition. His last fight was his first decision win, and he finished all nine prior victories. He attacks the body well, has solid combinations, and pushes forward. He’s an exciting addition to the UFC.
This could be a “Fight of the Night” candidate if both fighters last. While Zaynukov has incredible volume and pace, Rzepecki makes up for that with constant pressure and good combinations to the body. The difference at face value should be the volume from the Zaynukov side, but if Rzepecki’s defense holds up, this fight will get closer as the rounds continue. Rzepecki also displayed solid takedown defense in his last fight, which should also help keep this fight standing if Zaynukov decides to change levels. In terms of rising up-and-comers, this fight is at the top of the list.
Islam Dulatov
1.11
7.00
Wellington Turman
Islam Dulatov might be one of the most anticipated fighters in the UFC. He doesn’t fight too often, but the professional model comes in with plenty of excitement backing him. He’s tall, maintains range well, and has serious power. The problem is we haven’t seen much of him. His cardio could be a problem later in fights, and his only career loss is the one fight he went to a decision. Since then, he’s finished every fight within two rounds, but there is something to be said for what he looks like after the first half of the fight.
Wellington Turman is back after a long layoff and losing his last three UFC fights. The thing is, he’s only 29 years old and is a main training partner for Alex Pereira. He’s a good grappler, but his chin has always been the problem. He takes far too many shots, and when they land, they hurt. He’s 3-6 in the UFC, and his last win was an armbar win over Misha Cirkunov in 2022. His other two UFC wins are against Sam Alvey, the fighter known to have the longest leash in UFC history, and Markus Perez.
This fight comes down to how much Dulatov can land early, or if Turman can weather the storm and find ways to get him down. If this fight lasts more than two rounds, Turman has an opportunity to turn the tide and find ways to outwork Dulatov. It’s by far his best path to victory, and he should have a grappling advantage, especially later in the fight. The most likely outcome is Dulatov uses his range and reach advantage, lands the better shots, and the volume difference should be able to put Turman out. If he doesn’t, this fight could get interesting.
Steve Erceg
1.92
1.89
Ramazon Temirov
Steve Erceg has such wild UFC experience under his belt. After starting 3-0, he got fed to Alexandre Pantoja so fast and, in what many claim was a close fight, he lost via decision. He followed that up with back-to-back losses to Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno, but is now riding a two-fight win streak. Weirdly, Erceg has worked his way down the ranks, but he’s now working his way back up. He’s a good kickboxer, but he gets hit a lot, and his grappling has been something to lean on when he’s getting beat up. In his last two wins, he still dropped a round to his opponents, making them close fights.
Ramazon Temirov is an exciting addition to the flyweight division. He got added to the UFC following two first-round finishes with RIZIN, and is now 2-0 in the UFC after finishing CJ Vergara in his debut and beating Charles Johnson on the cards. What makes him exciting for the lower weight classes is that he comes in with very real power. The problem we saw against Johnson is that if he can’t finish the fight early, he tends to fade as the fight goes on. That will be a massive hole in his game if he continues to move up the ranks.
As the betting line suggests, this is a close fight. Temirov will have a power and volume advantage early in the fight. He attacks the body well, and that works well against taller fighters. Erceg’s best chance is to survive the early onslaught and find ways to mix it up. If he can get the fight to the ground, he’ll neutralize the power and force Temirov to fight for position. As the fight goes on, he’ll have the better cardio and can find ways to steal rounds. If Temirov wins, it’ll likely be in violent fashion.
Magomed Ankalaev
1.18
5.10
Bogdan Guskov
Magomed Ankalaev makes his way back to the UFC after getting finished by Alex Pereira. It was an uncharacteristic loss for him, and his camp has been saying he was injured going into it. He’s still 12-2 in the UFC and hadn’t lost since 2018. He’s a fantastic kickboxer with a solid wrestling background, and his technical style allows him to find success against almost everyone. He’s not landing with immense power or knocking people out, but he’s a well-rounded fighter with solid cardio.
Bogdon Guskov is stepping in on short notice for a massive opportunity to climb the ranks. He’s 4-1-1 in the UFC and coming off a majority decision draw against Jan Blachowicz, where he had plenty of good moments. Before that, he was on a four-fight win streak, all finishes, after losing ot Volkan Oezdemir in his UFC debut. He’s a fast starter with solid power, but some holes in his game will play a part in this fight.
There is a clear technical difference in this fight. Ankalaev should have an advantage almost everywhere, but Guskov will come in with a puncher’s chance. If this turns into a brawl, Guskov can find ways to land the more powerful shots, but Ankalaev’s counters and wrestling threat will be the major difference in this fight. It’s hard to see Guskov landing enough to put Ankalaev out, and the most likely outcome would be Ankalaev via decision or late-round finish.
UFC Abu Dhabi Best Bets
2025 Total Units Won: +29.97 Units
2026 Record: 50-65-1, +3.4943 Units
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UFC Abu Dhabi is a solid card for up-and-coming talent and solid matchups. While there isn’t the star power from some of the recent UFC cards, there’s a high probability for finishes, close fights, and fighters to look forward to once it’s all said and done. Don’t sleep on this card; it should be a banger.
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