Akbar Abdullaev is reportedly set to make his full UFC debut in December at UFC Saudi Arabia against featherweight contender Mairon Santos, who is on a four-fight win streak in the promotion. The weight class for the bout has not been settled, as Santos has competed at both lightweight and featherweight, most recently in a catchweight fight. Abdullaev, 29 and undefeated, earned his UFC contract in September with a 19-second knockout of Ednilson Santos on Dana White's Contender Series, after which White called him possibly the greatest talent in the show's history.
Akbar Abdullaev is reportedly set to make his full UFC debut in December at UFC Saudi Arabia, with Mairon Santos named as his opponent, Bloody Elbow reported. The pairing has not been officially confirmed.
The weight class for the bout has not been settled. Santos has competed at both lightweight and featherweight, most recently in a catchweight fight, so the division could change before the matchup is finalized.
Abdullaev, 29, is undefeated and earned his UFC contract in September with a 19-second knockout of Ednilson Santos on Dana White's Contender Series. White afterward called him possibly the greatest talent in the show's history. A first-round finish that quick, on that stage, helped fast-track him into a matchup with an established promotional name.
Santos, 26, is a Brazilian fighter who trains out of Xtreme Couture and holds an 18-1 record. The report describes him as a featherweight contender on a four-fight win streak inside the promotion. His most recent recorded fight came on December 6, 2025, at UFC 323, where he beat Muhammad Naimov by knockout in the third round. Before that he took unanimous-decision wins over Sodiq Yusuff and a split decision over Francis Marshall.
Santos stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach and fights from an orthodox stance. He lands 3.53 significant strikes per minute at 46 percent accuracy, numbers that point to a selective striker rather than a high-volume one. He has not attempted a takedown or a submission in the rates tracked, so his offense has come almost entirely on the feet.
Why it matters
- Abdullaev would step up from a 19-second Contender Series win to a fighter with four straight UFC victories, a steep jump in competition for a debutant.
- Santos is 26, three years younger than Abdullaev, and has a recent knockout win to his name, so the matchup pairs a proven finisher against a debutant billed as a major prospect.
- The unresolved weight class leaves open whether the fight lands at lightweight, featherweight or a catchweight, which could shape both men's divisional paths.
Neither side has publicly confirmed the bout, and a date, venue details and final weight are still to come.
