Overview

• Dana White confirmed the bantamweight bout for October 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
• Umar Nurmagomedov returns for his first fight since a close decision loss to champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 in January.
• Mario Bautista enters on an eight-fight winning streak, with recent wins over Patchy Mix at UFC 316 and a controversial split decision over José Aldo at UFC 307.
• The result could shape the next title opportunity depending on the outcome of Dvalishvili’s scheduled defense against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.
• UFC 321 is headlined by Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane with a vacant women’s strawweight title fight between Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern, and the Nurmagomedov–Bautista booking generated strong online reaction.