Lany Silva 7-2 and Michele Oliveira at 5-1 both kept the balance this morning to win the UAE Warriors 65 Main Event title fight for the Women’s Strawweight Championship tomorrow night in Al Ain. The two Brazilian fighters have made quick work of first-round finishes in their previous promotional outings and will now battle for the 115-pound gold atop another stacked card at the ADNEC Center in the historic oasis city, live on UFC Fight Pass.
The UAE Warriors 65 main event is even more intriguing considering that Silva is perhaps more known for her striking ability and yet ended her last fight in Abu Dhabi with a heel hook, while Oliveira is a BJJ star whose previous outing saw her hand raised thanks to a TKO. At the Fight Week press conference, Silva professed confidence in her jiu-jitsu and Oliveira vowed to keep the fight going. Either way, the clash of styles between two finishers looks like a worthy battle for the vacant title.
The co-main event pits fan favorite and former lightweight champion Bruno Machado (18-9) against hard-hitting Australian vet Brentin Mumford (11-9). ‘Caveira’ has shown ominous recent form, scoring three consecutive knockout victories, including a dominant performance against Eduardo Garagorri 15-4 last October, but Gold Coast’s Mumford is a perennial MMA mainstay with a wide skill set with powerful Muay Thai skills coupled with an electric scramble and has exuded a confident air all fight week.
A battle for Dagestan bragging rights will witness two athletes from Makhachkala, with Abdurakhman Alimagomedov 12-1 taking on Anvarbek Daniyalbekov 11-0. Alimagomedov, a core member of Team Nurmagomedov, recently returned in February after a long layoff. He beat Imran Taysultonov 6-2 in the first round and looks as dangerous as ever, but 10 of Azerbaijan’s Daniyalbekov’s 11 wins have come by KO, including a viral head kick of veteran Jonas Boeno 44-22 earlier this year.
Sensational new signing and ONE Championship veteran Reece McLaren 18-9 faces promotional regular Yamato Fujita 14-5 in a flyweight bout, although the Tokyo grappler was the only fighter on the entire card to miss weight. Former XFC and Eternal champion McLaren has not stopped for over five years and, with seventeen fights in ONE, is undoubtedly one of the most experienced athletes on the card. But Fujita has endured setbacks after losing his title shot to Ribeiro last year. This year he took two knocks to continue his three-fight winning streak since then.
The main card is a mouth-watering bantamweight bout between two undefeated fighters, Mehemmedeli Osmanli (10-0) and Bakhtovar Yunusov (10-0). With a lethal submission game but trained under kickboxing talent Zabit Samedov in Baku, Osmanli dominated Faeez Jacobs 12-6 at UAEW 62 to maintain a perfect finishing percentage in his first two promotional fights, but Yunusov brings a wealth of international experience, including a regional featherweight title in Russia, where he has handed fighters their first career losses thanks to a granite chin and polished technical skills.
With a nine-match undercard and a plethora of big names across different regions of the world, UAE Warriors 65 is without a doubt the biggest card of the year, not just for the promotion, but for the entire Middle East. It takes place on November 15 at 6pm at the ADNEC Center in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates and is available worldwide via streaming on UFC Fight Pass and Abu Dhabi Sports TV.
The full UAE Warriors 65 card:
Strawweight Championship Lany Silva 7-2 vs. Michele Oliveira 5-1
Catch weight 73kg Bruno Machado 18-9 vs. Brentin Mumford 11-9
Catch weight 86kg Abdurakhman Alimagomedov 12-1 vs. Anvarbek Daniyalbekov 11-0
Flyweight Yamato Fujita 14-5 vs. Reece McLaren 18-9
Bantamweight Mehemmedeli Osmanli 10-0 vs. Bakhtovar Yunusov 10-0
Welterweight Shakhban Alchasov 9-2 vs Basir Saraliev 10-1
Welterweight Shamidkhan Magomedov 10-1 vs. Marcos Santana 7-1
Light as a feather Ahmed Faress 22-8 v Walter Cogliandro 15-8 ITA
Catch weight 73kg Davlatbek Khozhev 5-3 against Abdullah Boushehri 13-5
Catch weight 87kg Sharapudin Ziyaudinov 5-0 vs. Khaled Laallam 7-0
Bantamweight Pavel Andrusca 6-0 against Daermisi Zhawupasi
Catch weight 59kg Furkatbek Yokubov 14-5 vs. Ruel Pañales 7-2
Catch weight 95kg Nutsalkhan Magomedov 2-0 vs. Shokhboz Ortikov 3-1
Welterweight Magomed Muradov 1-0 vs. Faridun Shokhnazarov 4-1
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