Movsar Evloev, Aaron Pico Set for Five-Round, Co-Main Event at UFC Abu Dhabi

If Movsar Evloev can get past one more obstacle, he might finally receive the title shot he so desires.

Evloev will square off against former Bellator MMA standout Aaron Pico in the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event on July 26, the Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Wednesday.

“If Movsar can get the victory, he will likely be the next contender for the title against Alexander Volkanovski,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a video on social media.

A former M-1 Global champion, Evloev is unbeaten in 19 professional appearances. His 9-0 UFC record includes notable triumphs over the likes of Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes and Dan Ige. The 31-year-old Russian has gone the distance in all of his victories inside the Octagon.

The 28-year-old Pico was one of the most celebrated newcomers in recent memory when he made his Bellator debut in 2017. While that ended in a first-round submission loss to Zach Freeman, Pico has continued to demonstrate improvement over the years, winning nine of his last 10 outings. Most recently, he scored a first-round stoppage of Henry Corrales at a PFL vs. Bellator event in February 2024.

“Aaron Pico is a ridiculously violent striker and a high-level grappler,” White said. “Pico has had hype behind him since he was a teenager because of his skill and fighting style, which people compare to the likes of Justin Gaethje or Dustin Poirier.”

UFC Abu Dhabi — also known as UFC on ABC 9 — takes place at Etihad Arena and is headlined by a middleweight showdown between ex-champ Robert Whittaker and former ONE Championship two-division title holder Reinier de Ridder.

Several other previously reported bouts were confirmed for the UFC Abu Dhabi main card: Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee at bantamweight; Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov at bantamweight; Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault at middleweight and Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov at light heavyweight.

Whittaker vs de Ridder is LIVE and FREE July 26th on @ABCNetwork! #UFCAbuDhabi@VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/aGEqTcvrT8

— danawhite (@danawhite) June 18, 2025