Ramazan Temirov and Steve Erceg headline the co-main event in Abu Dhabi, and both of them would rather finish you on the mat than on the feet. Here's why this one is worth clearing your Saturday morning for.
Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27
Figures from Forbes' UFC Abu Dhabi card preview and the official UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov fight card.
Temirov built his reputation as one of the scarier flyweights in the world by refusing to let fights stay standing for long. He comes forward looking to close distance, and once he gets there he is comfortable working from top position or hunting a scramble that ends with him on somebody's back. Erceg, by contrast, has made a career out of being the more patient grappler in the room, willing to eat a few exchanges early so he can find the transition that gets him to a submission later in the fight.
That contrast is what makes this particular flyweight matchup interesting beyond the usual co-main event hype. It is not two strikers hoping to land a knockout blow. It is two guys who both understand that a fight can be won or lost in the three seconds after a takedown attempt, when hips and hands decide who ends up on top.
The light heavyweight main event puts former champion Magomed Ankalaev back in the cage against Bogdan Guskov, who stepped in on short notice after Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew. Guskov's title shot marks the first time a fighter from Uzbekistan has headlined a UFC card, a genuinely new chapter for a region that has produced a wave of standout wrestlers and grapplers in recent years.
Ankalaev is looking to work his way back toward another crack at the light heavyweight title after dropping his belt to Alex Pereira last October, and a win here keeps that path realistic. It is a card with real consequences up and down the lineup, not just a placeholder show before the bigger pay-per-view events later in the year.
Heavyweight submission specialist Valter Walker is also fighting on this card against Thomas Petersen, and it matters more than a typical prelim bout. Walker has built a reputation around finishing fights with leg locks, a skill set that is rare at heavyweight where most finishes come from strikes. Another highlight reel submission here puts him firmly in the conversation for a ranked opponent, and eventually a title shot, in a division that badly needs more finishers on the mat rather than just on the feet.
Elsewhere on the card, Rizvan Kuniev and Tyrell Fortune square off in a heavyweight bout between two ranked contenders, the kind of fight that rarely gets attention outside hardcore fan circles but tends to matter a great deal once the rankings shake out a few months later.
The reason a fight like Temirov versus Erceg is worth watching closely, even if you have never set foot on a mat, is that it is a live demonstration of the exact scrambling and positional concepts that jiu-jitsu and grappling classes teach every single day. The difference between a UFC flyweight and a hobbyist white belt is speed and experience, not the underlying ideas.
If watching two flyweights fight for scramble control makes you want to understand what is actually happening when a fighter takes someone's back or defends a leg lock, that is exactly the kind of thing a good no-gi or gi class will walk you through from day one. Find a BJJ gym near you and try a class. You do not need to be a UFC prospect to learn the same positions these guys are using on Saturday.
Beyond the headline matchup, here is what to keep an eye on across the rest of the fight card.
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The event takes place Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Both fighters lean heavily on grappling and scrambling rather than pure striking, and analysts have flagged it as one of the more technically compelling matchups on the card.
No fighter born in Uzbekistan had ever headlined a UFC event before this card, and he only got the assignment after Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew on short notice.
Look for a BJJ or no-gi grappling gym near you and ask about a trial class. Most gyms will walk beginners through the same scrambling and positional concepts fighters use on cards like this one.