UFC 281 announced for Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi

The UFC will return to Abu Dhabi in the fall.

The promotion announced Friday that UFC 281 will take place Oct. 22 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

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[ #UFC281 | @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/RJusAhNipT

— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2022

The UFC frequently has visited Abu Dhabi since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in March 2020, holding three “Fight Island” shows behind closed doors that year. The promotion then held another show in January 2021, headlined by the rematch between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor at UFC 257, which featured a small capacity of fans.

The last time the UFC visited Abu Dhabi was last October for UFC 267 as Glover Teixeira dethroned light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz to become the oldest first-time champion in the promotion’s history. In the co-main event, Petr Yan reclaimed a piece of his bantamweight title when he outlasted Cory Sandhagen in a thrilling stand-up battle to win the interim belt. The event was attended by over 10,000 fans.

No fights have been announced for UFC 281 at this time, although presumed No. 1 lightweight contender Islam Makhachev has spoken about getting his title shot in Abu Dhabi this fall.