Dana White's 'possibly the greatest talent' Akbar Abdullaev reportedly faces Mairon Santos
The unbeaten Kyrgyz fighter won his UFC contract with a 19-second knockout, but the UFC has not announced the December fight.
Akbar Abdullaev, the unbeaten finisher Dana White called "possibly the greatest talent that's ever been on this show in 10 years", is reportedly set to make his UFC debut against Mairon Santos in December.
AG Fight reported the booking, and Bloody Elbow says it is for UFC Saudi Arabia. The UFC has not announced the fight, and the weight is unclear because Santos has fought at both lightweight and featherweight.
AG Fight's poster listed the card as UFC Vegas. Bloody Elbow says there have been rumours of a move to Las Vegas because of the conflict in the Middle East, but the plan is still believed to be Saudi Arabia. White said after UFC 333 that the UFC's Middle East events would go ahead: "When we have a deal, we have a contract, we have a date, we'll be there."
Abdullaev won his contract on Dana White's Contender Series on 15 September, knocking out Ednilson Santos with an overhand right after 19 seconds. He arrived with a 13-0 record and 13 finishes, 10 of them in the first round.
White told him "that punch sounded like a baseball bat" before adding: "I think that you are going to be a huge superstar and a very big threat in this sport." Sean O'Malley, Carlos Ulberg and Jamahal Hill all came through the same show and went on to win UFC titles.
"I want to fight some famous fighters, legends like Max Holloway," Abdullaev said at the post-fight press conference. "I want to get the fame."
Santos, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 32, has won all four of his UFC fights. He last fought at UFC 323 in December 2025, when he missed weight by a pound and a half and then stopped Muhammad Naimov in the third round. He was due to face England's Nathaniel Wood at UFC Paris on 5 September but withdrew, and Pavel Andrusca took the fight on short notice.
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