Fight Island 3: All about the gala with The Mauler, Khamzat and Pannie
Tonight, the UFC organizes the galaFight Island 3 in Abu Dhabi, where we get to see three Swedes fight; Alexander Gustafsson, Pannie Kianzad, and Khamzat Chimaev. In this article, you can see all the information you need regarding the gala.
After holding three galas on Yas Island so far this month, the UFC will hold one last gala on the island (this time) with a fully charged match card tonight. In the gala's main event, we are offered a middleweight match between the two top fighters Darren Till and Robert Whittaker, but we Swedes are probably most looking forward to three other matches.
The Mauler makes heavyweight debate in return
Our biggest star Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson (18-6) chose to retire from MMA last year on June 1. The announcement made many Swedish MMA fans sad. The most high-profile northerner in MMA's history put an outstanding career behind him with his departure from the Globe in Stockholm. With no less than 3 title matches in the light heavyweight class, The Mauler had settled at the top of the division rankings full time where he was set against the best in the weight class.
Gustafsson would, however, prove to have one last gear to put in as he now makes his long-awaited UFC comeback in the heaviest weight class with a new aim to become UFC champion. The first obstacle on the way to the goal will be the weight class' former champion Fabricio Werdum (23-9-1) where an impressive win for the Swede would put him in a golden position in the battle for future title chances
After losing the title to current champion Stipe Miocic (19-3), Fabricio Werdum has won 3-3 in 6 matches in the organization. After an absence due to testing positive for doping, the brass returned to Russian Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 249 in May where Werdum was defeated by a split decision.
Although Werdum's performance has not been the best in recent years in the UFC, the 42-year-old is still a dangerous threat due to his experience and routine of over 18 years of competing in the sport. It will be a tough test for the Swede in the debut in the weight class to defeat Werdum who in turn hopes to improve their 14th ranking in the weight class.
Khamzat could become historic tonight
Our new star shot Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev (7-0) made an outstanding debut in the octagon only 10 days ago when he finished the British John Phillips (22-10, 1 NC) in a spectacular way brilliant through submission in the second round and in the wrong weight class as well (middleweight). He is now charged for a quick return to the cage for an exciting welterweight meet against Northern Ireland debutant Rhys McKee (10-2-1) where Chimaev has the chance to become historic by starting his UFC career with 2 wins in just 10 days. He has already been nicknamed "KaBig", as Chimaev's style is similar to the lightweight champion Nurmagomedov. A win against McKee could pave the way for star status in the world's largest MMA organization.
Rhys "Skeletor" McKee has fought in his recent matches within one of our continent's largest MMA organizations; Cage Warriors. There, no one has managed to defeat him as he has succeeded with 3 finishes during his 3 victories. Last we saw him finish Norwegian Håkon Foss (9-8) this autumn through TKO round 1. McKee has managed to finish in all of his 10 wins in his professional career and hopes tonight to take his eleventh in his against Swedish Chimaev in his debut in the organization.
Pannie Kianzad is up against veteran Bethe Correia
Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad (12-5) will tonight finally go to her first fight for this year when the Swede she faces 37-year-old veteran Bethe Correia (11-4-1) at tonight's UFC Fight Night 181. We last saw Kianzad fight on November 9 last year where she defeated Australian Jessica-Rose Clark (9-6, 1 NC) by unanimous decision. The Swede has so far 1-1 in the record after returning to the octagon. A victory is extremely important as it can mean that Kianzad can cement her place in the bantamweight division where she hopes to accomplish great things.
Bethe Correia most recently managed to break a negative trend with two straight losing games by defeating Sijara Eubanks (5-4) on 21 September. Before that, Correia had only reigned supreme with 6 UFC fighters and seemed to be approaching a farewell from the Octagon. Now that she has started to win again, she can be a difficult obstacle for Swedish Kianzad in tonight's bantamweight meeting.
Till vs Whittaker in the gala main event
Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker (20-5) becomes middleweight champion through hard work as he faced several of the division's top athletes, the Australian was able to salvage his title in 2018. However, he was only allowed to defend his belt once before Whittaker was knocked out by the new champion Israel Adesanya (19-0) during the second round. After a period of absence, "Bobby Knuckles" is now ready to once again step into the octagon to meet the high-profile Englishman Darren Till (18-2-1).
Darren Till rose from welterweight when he was defeated for the first time in his career and twice as well. He first challenged the then champion Tyron Woodley (19-5-1) but finished, which was then followed by a tough knockout against Jorge Masvidal (35-14) at home, which made Till step up to the 185 lbs weight class. In the middleweight division, Till has only fought once, but there impresses with a win over former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum (15-6, 1 NC) in November. Now he is just like Whittaker ready to go his first fight for this year and take a thunderous step towards the title chance.
match Short
Below you can see the current match card for the gala with odds from MyBookie:
MAIN CARD (Starts at 02:00 and broadcasts on Viaplay)
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker (1.75) vs. Darren Till (2.05)
Light-Heavyweight: Maurício Rua (1.53) vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira (2.50)
Heavyweight: Fabrício Werdum (3.60) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (1.30)
Straw weight: Carla Esparza (2.45) vs. Marina Rodriguez (1.53)
Lightweight: Paul Craig (1.75) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (2.05)
Welterweight: Alex Oliveira (1.57) vs. Peter Sobotta (2.40)
Welterweight: Khamzat Chimaev (1.08) vs. Rhys McKee (7.50)
UNDERCARD (Starts at 00:00 and is broadcast on Viaplay and TV 10)
Catch weight (160 lbs): Francisco Trinaldo (1.70) vs. Jai Herbert (2.15)
Welterweight: Nicolas Dalby (1.36) vs. Jesse Ronson (3.10)
Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall (1.44) vs. Jake Collier (2.80)
Featherweight: Movsar Evloev (1.50) vs. Mike Grundy (2.60)
Heavyweight: Tanner Boser (1.36) vs. Raphael Pessoa (3.10)
Bantamweight: Bethe Correia (2.25) vs. Pannie Kianzad (1.63)
PRE-PRELIMS (Starts 23:00 and airs on Fight Pass)
Welterweight: Ramazan Emeev (1.25) vs. Niklas Stolze (3.90)
Bantamweight: Nathaniel Wood (1.20) vs. John Castaneda (4.50)