Undefeated Abdullaev faces Santos in UFC debut at Saudi Arabia card on 5 December

Akbar Abdullaev will step into the UFC Octagon for the first time against Mairon Santos at UFC Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on 5 December, according to a report from Ag Fight.

Abdullaev arrives undefeated at 14-0 and with a 100% finishing rate across his career, which included a stint in One Championship before he turned heads on Dana White’s Contender Series in September. He secured his UFC contract with a 19-second knockout — one of the fastest finishes in the show’s history.

UFC CEO Dana White was effusive in his praise after that performance. “I’m going to call you possibly the greatest talent that’s ever been on this show in 10 years,” White told Abdullaev. “I think you’re going to be a huge superstar and a very big threat in this sport.”

Santos, meanwhile, is no soft introduction to the promotion. The Brazilian featherweight enters the lightweight clash with a 17-1 record and has won all four of his UFC bouts since joining the promotion in 2024, making him one of the more quietly impressive prospects on the roster. The move up to lightweight will be his first at UFC level.

The matchup pits two unbeaten-or-near-unbeaten fighters on ascending trajectories against each other, with Abdullaev’s all-or-nothing finishing instincts meeting a Santos side that has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon. For Abdullaev, the fight represents an immediate test of whether the hype generated on the Contender Series translates to the main roster.