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Both fighters confirmed the bout on social media following an initial report from Marcel Dorff. UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26 and is also expected to include a heavyweight tilt between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov.
According to Fakhretdinov, the booking was not ideal for either fighter.
“Know me and Nursultan were against this fight,” Fakhretdinov wrote on Instagram (via translate). “This fight is not profitable for anyone. I will tell you, we did everything possible to prevent this fight, but we are only fighters. The league always has the final word, so don't throw stones at us. The circumstances have turned out to be. The league has decided for us. But nothing changes, as we were friends with Nursulton, we will be friends, and after the fight I will come to visit him for pilaf (I hope he will invite me).”
A native of Moscow, Fakhretdinov is unbeaten in his first five Octagon appearances, with a majority draw against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in November 2023 the only blemish on his ledger during that time. In his last outing, “Gladiator” took a split verdict against Nicolas Dalby to improve his career mark to 22-1-1.
Ruziboev, meanwhile, saw a 10-bout professional winning streak come to an end at UFC on ESPN 56, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Joaquin Buckley on May 11. The Kazakhstan native began his promotional tenure with consecutive first-round stoppages of Brunno Ferreira and Sedriques Dumas.
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