The second Brazilian to perform on Saturday morning (25) during the preliminary card of UFC Abu Dhabi , Ismael Marreta did not resist and ended up being defeated by Axel Sola with a submission in the first round, in a duel valid for the lightweight category (up to 70,3 kg). This was the third consecutive defeat for Gabriel Marretinha 's brother in the organization, while the Frenchman recovered from the defeat to Mason Jones and reached his 12th victory as a professional.
An unexpected blow changed the course of the fight for Ismael Marreta.
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With his guard high, Marreta started the fight trying to dominate the center of the octagon, and managed a takedown after catching a strong kick from his opponent to the waistline. Sola used the cage for support to get back to his feet, and the two spent the next few minutes exchanging blows in that position. While the Brazilian insisted on getting another takedown, the Frenchman landed hammerfists and elbows to the side of the head.
One of these strikes even stunned Ismael, triggering a series of submission attempts by Sola, who tried front chokes and ended up in the Brazilian's guard while trying to finish the fight. Despite attacking with an armlock, Marreta ended up conceding an inverted triangle choke and was forced to tap out when the clock showed four minutes and 44 seconds of the first round.
D'ARCE GETS IT DONE 😤
Axel Sola locks in the RD1 submission victory!
[ #UFCAbuDhabi | LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/2uqjkdg8Ea
— UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2026
Undefeated Russian debuts with knockout against veteran.
In the penultimate preliminary fight, Muhammad Saidov made a spectacular debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) by knocking out Dustin Jacoby in the second round, in a bout valid for the light heavyweight category (up to 93 kg). With the result, the Russian ended the veteran's streak of three consecutive knockout victories and reached his tenth win, remaining undefeated as a professional.
The two fighters remained standing and engaged in a technical duel in the first round. For most of the time, Jacoby dominated the center of the octagon and tried to corner his opponent, while Saidov took advantage of moments to repel his rival's approach and attack with strong crosses and kicks to the midsection. Confident, the Russian risked a spinning kick to the head during the final seconds of the first round.
Highly experienced, Jacoby returned for the second round looking to induce the Russian into making mistakes through numerous feints. Despite this, Saidov remained aware of the risks and landed the best strikes, mainly with crosses and high kicks, opening a cut above the American's left eyebrow. Up to this point, the veteran had been successful mainly with jabs and leg kicks.
However, the Russian saved his best punches for last. He unleashed a long combination of punches interspersed with a powerful head kick that stunned Jacoby. From there, Saidov attacked his opponent with a flurry of punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight at four minutes and 49 seconds of the middle round.
Undefeated fighter uses grappling to win again.
Nurullo Aliev in victory at UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
In the second fight of the night, Nurullo Aliev physically dominated and defeated Mike Davis by unanimous decision in a lightweight bout (up to 70,3 kg). With this result, he achieved his twelfth consecutive professional victory and maintained his undefeated record. Present in the UFC since 2023, he now has four wins in the world's largest MMA organization.
Without wasting any time, Aliev opted for a strategy heavily focused on grappling, going for a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight. Making good use of chain wrestling, the Tajik controlled his opponent on the ground and managed to avoid Davis's dangerous submission attempts. While prioritizing establishing dominant positions, he also managed to attack his rival with good ground strikes, in addition to using striking to induce his opponent into errors during the brief moments of stand-up exchanges.
After the 15 minutes of regulation time, he was declared the winner by unanimous decision. All judges scored 30 to 27 in his favor.
UFC Abu Dhabi results
MAIN CARD
Light heavyweight (up to 92,9 kg): Magomed Ankalaev defeated Bogdan Guskov by knockout (punches) 2m39s R5
Flyweight (up to 56,7 kg): Ramazan Temirov defeated Steve Erceg by knockout (punches) at 4:21 of round 1.
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman – fight cancelled
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Magomed Zaynukov defeated Damian Rzepecki by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Rizvan Kuniev defeated Tyrell Fortune by technical knockout (knees) at 1:12 of round 3.
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Abubakar Vagaev defeated Saygid Izagakhmaev by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Valter Walker defeated Thomas Petersen by submission (calf lock) at 1:32 of round 1.
Light heavyweight (up to 92,9 kg): Muhammad Saidov defeated Dustin Jacoby by technical knockout (punches) at 4:48 of round 2.
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Sam Patterson defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio by knockout (punch) at 3:06 of round 2.
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Axel Sola defeated Ismael Bonfim by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:44 of round 1.
Light heavyweight (up to 92,9 kg): Magomed Tuchalov defeated Brendson Ribeiro by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Nurullo Aliev defeated Mike Davis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Abdul Hussein defeated Cody Gibson by submission (katagatame) at 3:07 of round 3.
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Read More about: Axel Sola, Ismael Marreta, Mike Davis, Nurullo Aliev, UFC Abu Dhabi
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