ADXC 6 was forced to make another change to its main event in Abu Dhabi, and this time it’s a grappling battle between UFC veterans Muhammad Mokaev and Rogerio Bontorin set for Friday. Bontorin’s manager announced the news on Monday.
The card went from Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Eduardo Dantas as the headlining attraction to Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Muhammad Mokaev, and now Bontorin steps in as a short-notice replacement “due to unforeseen circumstances”. Rosas Jr. posted on social media that “UFC wants me to focus on MMA for now”.
Mokaev remains unbeaten after 36 MMA contests in a row, going 23-0 as an amateur before turning pro in 2020. The Russian was victorious in all seven UFC appearances, beating the likes of Manel Kape and Alex Perez, but was not re-signed to the promotion.
Bontorin fought six times under the UFC banner between 2019 and 2022 after competing at Dana White’s Contender Series, scoring wins over Magomed Bibulatov and Raulian Paiva before a four-fight skid with defeats to Ray Borg, Kai Kara-France and Brandon Royval. Bontorin, who last fought in MMA inside the RIZIN cage back in 2023, scored 11 of his 17 MMA wins via submission.
