Last Saturday night, the Ultimate Fighting Championship bid farewell to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, hoping to make its own UFC Apex back in Las Vegas its home for the foreseeable future during the COVID-19 pandemic. More importantly, the UFC said adios in style, with a largely entertaining albeit 15-fight card, topped by a fantastic middleweight clash between former divisional champion Robert Whittaker and Darren Till. This weekend, when the UFC heads back to “Sin City,” it will again feature 185-pounders in the main event, as 11-0 Edmen Shahbazyan looks to leap into another tier of the division when he meets sturdy veteran Derek Brunson.
Middleweight’s slow, steady and strange journey into the MMA spotlight
