UFC Abu Dhabi Reaction | Umar Nurmagomedov’s Title Shot Case, Reflecting on Tony Ferguson’s Career, and More!

From his Paris hotel, Ariel Helwani is joined by Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall to react to UFC Abu Dhabi and a whole lot more. After Ariel boasts about his Olympics adventures, the guys give Umar Nurmagomedov his flowers following his very impressive win over perennial contender Cory Sandhagen. Is it enough to secure a date with the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili? The guys debate. Then, they get into Deiveson Figueiredo’s incredible bantamweight run, and whether the former flyweight champ has any hope of leapfrogging Nurmagomedov for a title shot. After that, 3PAC reflects on the legendary career of Tony Ferguson following El Cucuy’s loss to Michael Chiesa — his eighth straight in the UFC — as Ferguson likely leaves the sport as one of the best fighters to have never won undisputed UFC gold. To round out the show, Petesy makes a big claim about Mackenzie Dern’s stellar performance, and then the guys gush over PFL’s rising superstar Dakota Ditcheva. They also take some Discord questions on Muhammad Mokaev’s future, the Salt Lake City main event, and favorite Ferguson memories.

CHAPTERS:

• Ariel’s Paris adventures (00:00)
• UFC 208 card announced (09:28)
• Umar Nurmagomedov’s impressive win over Cory Sandhagen (11:02)
• Does Nurmagomedov get the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili? (15:43)
• Deiveson Figueiredo’s breakout at 135 lbs. (25:02)
• Tony Ferguson’s eighth consecutive loss and “retirement” (28:38)
• How good is Shara Bullet? (36:38)
• Mackenzie Dern gets back on track (43:34)
• Other notable UFC Abu Dhabi performances (48:03)
• The rise of Dakota Ditcheva in PFL (54:55)
• Discord questions (01:02:38)
• Final Thoughts (01:19:48)

Hosts: Ariel Helwani, Petesy Carroll, and Chuck Mindenhall

Producer: Troy Farkas

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