Mixed Martial Arts is heading to the UAE with Absolute Championship Berkut 81 taking place at The Dome, Sports City. ACB, the leader in Russian martial arts is live in Dubai for the very first time, featuring a packed card with the experienced Roan Cornero taking on the number two-ranked ACB welterweight Aslambek Saidov. The co-main event also features Great Britain’s Luke Barnatt, who fans will recognise from the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter, taking on the hard-hitting Maxim Futin.
The event, which is fully supported by the Dubai Sports Council, features over 24 fighters in competitive bouts. Fans will get to see a range of fights from different weight classes, with the winner of the Cornero v Saidov headline attraction will likely earn a shot at the welterweight title. Britain’s Barnatt is making the permanent move to light-heavyweight while the card also sees action in the flyweight division, including the highly anticipated return of Yoni Sherbatov as he takes on Josiel Silva.
Ex-UFC: Luke Barnatt
The ABC’s stop in the UAE is sandwiched between tournaments in Russia and Brazil as the organization looks to increase its worldwide profile, having already put on events in the UK, Poland, Georgia and Tajikistan. The company prides itself on focusing more on the fighting side of the sport, rather than the more flamboyant elements associated with the UFC, in turn, giving mixed martial arts fans more of the sport they love. The promotion held it’s first recognized event back in 2010 but began numbering the events in 2014 to push the brand higher in the MMA market.
Luke Barnatt has experience in the UFC, making his debut in 2013, having appeared on The Ultimate Fighter, where he reached the semi finals, earlier that year. He won his debut fight via unanimous decision. He fought five more times in the UFC, losing three times, before being released by the promotion in 2015. After fighting around independent promotions following the UFC he made his ACB debut in March last year.
Headliner Roan Carneiro also has UFC experience having made his debut with a win in 2007. He would fight four more times – winning once – before being released from the company. However, the Brazilian made a UFC comeback, against Ryan LeFlare, last year, losing the bout via unanimous decision. ACB 81 will be his first bout back since the defeat as he looks to get back to winning ways.
ACB 81 – FIGHT CARD:
What: Absolute Championship Berkut 81
Where: The Dome, Dubai Sports City
When: February 23.
Contact: acbmma.com/en/tickets
