Report: Akbar Abdullaev makes UFC debut vs Mairon Santos in Riyadh

Akbar Abdullaev is reportedly set to make his UFC debut against Mairon Santos at lightweight on the Dec. 5, 2026 UFC Saudi Arabia card in Riyadh, according to MMA Junkie and Ag. Fight. The promotion has not yet made an official announcement.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie's Nolan King of the booking on November 4 but asked to remain anonymous because the UFC has not formally confirmed it. Ag. Fight first reported the pairing, and Sherdog later carried the same report.

Undefeated Kyrgyz prospect vs UFC-unbeaten Brazilian

Abdullaev enters at 14-0 MMA with a perfect finishing rate — 13 knockouts and one submission, per Ag. Fight — after a short, high-profile run outside the Octagon. The Kyrgyz fighter left ONE Championship in mid-2026 with a 5-0 record there that included five finishes. One of those was a bout against then-champion Kai Tang that MMA Junkie noted was a title fight in which Abdullaev was ineligible to win the belt after missing weight.

He earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series with a 19-second knockout of Ednlison Santos (also reported as Ednilson Barros Santos) via overhand right in September. UFC CEO Dana White praised the performance in comments carried by Sherdog, calling Abdullaev "possibly the greatest talent that's ever been on this show in 10 years" and projecting him as "a huge superstar and a very big threat in this sport."

Santos is listed at 17-1 MMA and 4-0 in the UFC by MMA Junkie. The TUF 32 featherweight winner has beaten Kaan Ofli, Francis Marshall, Sodiq Yusuff and Muhammad Naimov inside the Octagon. Ag. Fight added that Santos withdrew from UFC Paris in September with health issues and will now make his first 2026 Octagon appearance against Abdullaev.

Both move up to lightweight

The bout is expected at lightweight, meaning both men shift up a division. MMA Junkie reported that Abdullaev had been lined up to return Nov. 28 in Qatar at featherweight before his opponent withdrew prior to an announcement. Santos, MMA Junkie wrote, moves to 155 after missing weight for a featherweight bout in December.

Part of a growing Riyadh undercard

Alongside Abdullaev vs Santos, MMA Junkie listed other reported or advancing Riyadh pairings: Ion Cutelaba vs Magomed Tuchalov, Jafel Filho vs Bruno Silva, Matthieu Duclos vs Modestino Rodrigues, Abdul Hussein vs Hecher Sosa, Levan Chokheli vs Islam Dulatov, Ivan Gnizditskiy vs Uran Satybaldiev, and Jun Yong Park vs Marco Tulio. Ag. Fight separately said the main event is trending toward Israel Adesanya vs Sharabutdin Magomedov, a return already covered elsewhere, though that headliner also awaits a formal UFC announcement.

Until the promotion posts an official graphic, Abdullaev vs Santos remains a multi-outlet report rather than a locked UFC listing — but the consensus from Ag. Fight, MMA Junkie and Sherdog points to a high-upside lightweight debut for the Contender Series standout against a 4-0 Octagon prospect in Riyadh on December 5.