Umar Nurmagomedov set for Urijah Faber at RAF Abu Dhabi

Etihad Arena hosts Nurmagomedov's Nov. 14 RAF debut.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 47m1 min read

What happened: Promotional officials confirmed to MMA Fighting that Nurmagomedov has signed with Real American Freestyle and will compete on the Nov. 14 card at Etihad Arena. Faber enters his third RAF appearance after losses to Henry Cejudo and Arman Tsarukyan earlier this year.

Why it matters: The matchup gives Nurmagomedov a new competitive setting after Song Yadong stopped him in the UFC Shanghai main event in August. It also adds another recognizable name to an RAF Abu Dhabi card already scheduled to feature Colby Covington defending a cruiserweight crossover title against Khamzat Chimaev.

By the numbers: Nurmagomedov's last three named UFC results were decision wins over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo, followed by the knockout loss to Song Yadong. Faber is 0-2 in RAF, with tech-fall losses to Henry Cejudo at RAF 6 in February and Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 8 two months later.

What to watch: RAF Abu Dhabi is scheduled for Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena. Further card additions and any rules details for Nurmagomedov's debut are the next points to watch before fight week.

Sources

MMA Fighting 2026-10-02T11:01:18.038066+00:00

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