Today’s UFC Abu Dhabi event lost a scheduled main card fight shortly before the action kicked off. Taking place at the Etihad Arena, this year’s edition of UFC Abu Dhabi is headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former UFC champion Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov, who stepped in to replace Khalil Rountree Jr. after the former title challenger withdrew with an injury. All 26 fighters scheduled to compete successfully made weight ahead of the event, but a medical issue overnight unfortunately pulled one major name off the card and scrapped one of the 13 scheduled fights. UFC Abu Dhabi Loses Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington TurmanShortly before the event’s 9:00 a.m. ET start time in The United States, the UFC announced that the UFC Abu Dhabi matchup between Islam Dulatov and Wellington Turman was off due to a medical issue on the part of Dulatov. — UFC News (@UFCNews) July 25, 2026Dulatov’s team also took to the fighter’s Instagram account to update fans and share a more detailed explanation for the withdrawal in multiple languages. The statement from Islam Dulatov's team. | (Instagram)The news came as a major disappointment for many MMA fans, as Dulatov was widely expected to put on another dominant performance in his second UFC outing in Abu Dhabi. Islam Dulatov Was the Biggest Favorite at UFC Abu DhabiBoasting a 12-1 record in professional MMA, Dulatov dropped a decision in his debut in 2019 but hasn’t tasted defeat or seen the judges’ scorecards (outside of a boxing win in 2023) since then. Islam Dulatov (blue gloves) walks on after defeating Adam Fugitt (red gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectA buzzer-beater finish in his one-off outing with Oktagon MMA in 2024 earned Dulatov a chance to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series, where he stopped Vanilto Antunes with an elbow in the opening round to secure a UFC contract. Adam Fugitt (red gloves) fights against Islam Dulatov (blue gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect“The Ripper” made his promotional debut at UFC 318 and knocked out Adam Fugitt late in the first round to extend his winning run to 12 fights and also secure a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his efforts. Wellington Turman Last Competed for the UFC in 2023While there was certainly some excitement around Dulatov’s second UFC fight in Abu Dhabi, the matchup with Turman was also widely criticized as a bit of a mismatch from the time it was first announced.Wellington Turman (red gloves) fights Jared Gooden (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Moody Center. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConnectTurman has been on the UFC roster since 2019 but was scheduled to return from a nearly three-year layoff to face Dulatov, and the Brazilian was also entering the night on a three-fight skid that left his overall UFC record at 3-6.Randy Brown (red gloves) fights Wellington Turman (blue gloves) in a welterweight bout during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConnectUFC Abu Dhabi still features a total of 12 fights, and you can stay up to date with all of the action right here.UFC Abu Dhabi Main Card Main Event: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov Co-Main Event: Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov Damian Rzepecki vs. Magomed Zaynukov Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune Abubakar Vagaev vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev UFC Abu Dhabi Preliminary Card Valter Walker vs. Thomas PetersenAxel Solva vs. Ismael Bonfim Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammad Said Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sam Patterson Nurullo Aliev vs. Mike DavisMagomed Tuchalov vs. Brendson RibeiroCody Gibson vs. Abdul HusseinAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow