"Better than 318" - Fans react as Dana White announces UFC Abu Dhabi lineup featuring much awaited debut

Fans recently expressed their excitement for the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi card after Dana White announced more bouts. The event featured highly anticipated bouts that could also have major title implications attached.

UFC Abu Dhabi is a Fight Night card scheduled to take place at the Etihad Arena on July 26 and will air free on ABC. The event is already shaping up to be an exciting one as former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker takes on Reinier de Ridder in the main event.

In the co-main event, unbeaten featherweight Movsar Evloev takes on former Bellator star Aaron Pico in a five-round bout. Also announced for the card, Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee, Said Nurmagomedov vs. Bryce Mitchell and Shara Bullet vs. Marc-Andre Barriault.

Check out Dana White's announcement below:

Fans took to the comment section and shared their thoughts on the star-studded Fight Night card. Some fans mentioned that the bout lineup was better than some of the UFC's pay-per-view offerings, while others shared their thoughts on Evloev still not being guaranteed a title shot should he defeat Pico. They wrote:

"Bruh this is better than 318 and 319 what are you doing"

"Why is this Fight Night better than most PPVs this year [laughing emoji]"

"Movsar will 'likely' be next if he wins [laughing emoji] he is so cooked man lmfao"

Check out the fan reaction comments regarding Dana White's bout announcement for UFC Abu Dhabi below:

Fan reaction comments regarding Dana White's UFC Abu Dhabi bout announcements [Image courtesy: @danawhite on X]

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Dana White hypes up featherweight co-main event between Movsar Evloev and Aaron Pico

Dana White added more hype to the featherweight co-main event between Movsar Evloev and Aaron Pico as the bout has been promoted to five rounds and hinted at a potential title shot.

In the aforementioned announcement, White highlighted Evloev's incredible winning streak, while also shedding light on what Pico adds to an exciting UFC featherweight division. He wrote:

"[Evloev] taking on the guy most people consider to be the top free agent in the world, Aaron Pico. Evloev is undefeated at 19-0 and one of the most intimidating guys at featherweight. [Pico] is a ridiculously violent striker and a very high-level grappler... has had hype behind him since he was a teenager because of his skill and fighting style, which people compare him to the likes of Justin Gaethje or Dustin Poirier."

Check out the UFC Abu Dhabi main card below: