Akbar Abdullaev to Face Mairon Santos at UFC Saudi Arabia

Undefeated prospect Akbar Abdullaev is set to make his Octagon debut against Mairon Santos on Dec. 5 at UFC Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, according to a report from Ag Fight. The scheduled contest will see both fighters collide in a lightweight matchup.

Abdullaev (14-0), a native of Kyrgyzstan who previously competed under the ONE Championship banner, enters the promotion with an unblemished record and a 100% finishing rate. He earned his UFC contract following a stunning 19-second knockout on Dana White's Contender Series. The dominant display drew high praise from UFC CEO Dana White, who called Abdullaev "possibly the greatest talent that’s ever been on this show in 10 years" while predicting he would become a "huge superstar and a very big threat in this sport."

Standing across the cage will be Brazil's Santos (17-1), who has enjoyed a strong run since signing with the promotion in 2024. Santos has won all four of his UFC appearances to date. While the Brazilian usually competes in the featherweight division, he will move up to lightweight for this pairing, which also marks his first walk to the Octagon this year.