Instead of fighting in Las Vegas, these two heavyweights will now do battle in Abu Dhabi.
The UFC announced Monday that a heavyweight bout between Almeida and Abdurakhimov will take place at UFC 280 on Oct. 22.
This bout was originally scheduled for UFC 279 on Sept. 10, but Abdurakhimov was unable to compete at the Las Vegas pay-per-view due to visa issues.
The re-booking was first reported by Ag. Fight.
Almeida has emerged as a dangerous contender since making his UFC debut this past February.
The Contender Series signee defeated Danilo Marques by first-round submission in a light heavyweight bout, then moved up to heavyweight where he has picked up two more first-round submissions over Parker Porter and Anton Turkalj (the latter in a 220-pound catchweight bout). Almeida holds a 17-2 pro record with all of his wins coming by way of knockout or submission.
Abdurakhimov (20-7) seeks to regain his spot in the heavyweight rankings and his first victory since April 2019. He holds notable wins over Marcin Tybura, Andrei Arlovski, and Walt Harris, but has lost three straight fights by TKO, most recently falling in the first round to Sergei Pavlovich in London this past March.
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