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Wellington Turman blames Islam Dulatov’s ‘lack of professionalism’ for ‘heartbreaking’ UFC Abu Dhabi fight cancellation

Published

3 months ago

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Wellington Turman blames Islam Dulatov’s ‘lack of professionalism’ for ‘heartbreaking’ UFC Abu Dhabi fight cancellation

A welterweight bout between Wellington Turman and Islam Dulatov was cancelled on the day of UFC Abu Dhabi after Dulatov had to be hospitalized the night before, and Turman believes it could have been avoided had his opponent followed the right procedure after making weight.

Turman told MMA Fighting he was in his hotel room, getting ready to head to the arena to fight, when his manager called to inform him of the cancellation.

“It was heartbreaking,†Turman said. “It's never a good feeling when you go through an entire training camp to get there and fight, especially after everything I went through to make this comeback. It was really disappointing that I didn't get to show my work.â€

Turman said he met with members of Dulatov's team later that day and they provided some insight on what really happened Friday.

“There's no way you can fight if you're sick and not feeling well, but I think it showed a bit of a lack of professionalism,†Turman said. “The guy has everything he could possibly need in the UFC. There's the UFC PI, where these people put together an entire plan to make sure a fighter is at his best on fight night. After the weigh-in, I also wanted to eat some chocolate or something different from what we've been eating during the weight cut, but I know that won't help me perform at my best on fight day, so I try to avoid it.

“His team told us he was following a bodybuilding coach who isn't even from the MMA world. They said that coach gave him some shakes, and that's what made him sick. That's one thing I don't understand. The guy isn't even from the fight game, and he's the one advising him. But what can you do? If someone's sick, there's nothing you can do about it. I wish him a speedy recovery, and I hope he's back as soon as possible.â€

The 30-year-old said he's open to re-booking a fight with Dulatov for UFC 333, which is scheduled for Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi, but he hopes the welterweight prospect has learned a valuable lesson with this experience.

“I hope he doesn't make that mistake again and starts listening to the specialists at the UFC PI,†Turman said. “But yeah, I'd be a little cautious [re-booking this fight] because I want to get to fight night and actually be able to show my work. We get part of the money, but it's not what I was hoping for. I was expecting to get that win, maybe earn a bonus, and most importantly, show my work and how much I've improved during this time.â€

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MMA

Merab Dvalishvili calls himself a decision machine before Yan trilogy

Published

30 minutes ago

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October 21, 2026

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Merab Dvalishvili calls himself a 'decision machine' before Yan trilogy
Merab
Dvalishvili can joke about his low finishing rate in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Dvalishvili is scheduled to challenge Petr Yan for
the bantamweight title in a trilogy bout at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. When a fan
recently asked him to predict the outcome, the former champion
jokingly suggested another decision victory.

Merab Dvalishvili jokes about his decision-heavy record ahead
of Petr Yan title fight at UFC 333

Dvalishvili is known for his relentless pressure and wrestling,
with 16 of his 21 career victories coming by decision. The Georgian
has recorded two finishes in the UFC: a technical knockout of
Marlon
Moraes in 2021 and a submission of Sean
O’Malley in his second title defense last year.

Asked how he would beat Yan, Dvalishvili described himself as a
“decision machine.â€

“There are three ways to win: knockout, submission, or decision,â€
Dvalishvili said in a brief
interview. “I’m a decision machine.â€

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MMA

10 UFC wins, zero finishes: Movsar Evloev defends his fighting style

Published

13 hours ago

on

October 20, 2026

By

10 UFC wins, zero finishes: Movsar Evloev defends his fighting style
Movsar
Evloev rejects the notion that fans only want bloody
fights.

Evloev is scheduled to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Russian
challenger has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision but believes
fans appreciate his fighting style.

Movsar Evloev argues wrestling can entertain UFC fans ahead of
Volkanovski title fight

The recent departures of Michael
Page and Farid
Basharat have fueled debate about whether winning is enough to
secure a new UFC contract. Neither fighter was re-signed despite a
winning streak, though a lack of finishes has not been established
as the reason for either departure.

Evloev believes finishes are not the only measure of a fighter's
value. He says fans also appreciate tactics, skill and
wrestling.

“I have zero finishes in UFC, but I'm still in the UFC and I'm
fighting for the title,†Evloev told MMA Fighting. “That means only
finishes are not important. To show a good fight is also important.
If you have no finish, you can still show a good fight, an exciting
fight; you can show the beauty of wrestling. There are not just
fans of MMA who just wait for blood. There are so many good fans
who know MMA, and they understand, and maybe because of them I'm
still in the UFC.â€

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MMA

Undefeated fighter blasts UFC, Dana White for creating ‘bullsh*t narrative’ around Farid Basharat release

Published

13 hours ago

on

October 20, 2026

By

Undefeated fighter blasts UFC, Dana White for creating ‘bullsh*t narrative’ around Farid Basharat release

Muhammad Mokaev knows how it feels to win in the octagon and still lose with the UFC.

In 2024, Mokaev experienced a similar rift despite having zero losses on his record, and he is now taking aim at White and the UFC's practices in defense of Basharat.

“When fighters are getting phone calls from bosses telling them, ‘If you keep wrestling like that, you're going to get cut,' then you're basically telling fighters how you want them to fight,†Mokaev wrote on Twitter. “At what point does that cross the line? Isn't that influencing the competition?

“And if you want to release a fighter, fine. But don't then publicly say he was ‘hard to deal with' or create some bullshit narrative about him that could damage his reputation and make other organizations think twice about signing him. Release fighters if you want. Just don't try to damage their careers on the way out.â€

Like Basharat, Mokaev employed a wrestling-heavy style that didn't always produce thrilling back-and-forth contests (though Mokaev did score submission victories in four of his seven UFC wins). The nail in the coffin for Mokaev was a disappointing decision win over Manel Kape at UFC 304, where both men produced little meaningful offense. Making matters worse, Mokaev and Kape had an altercation during fight week, with Mokaev admitting he threw the first punch.

Mokaev is 4-0 since parting ways with the UFC, having finished three of his past four opponents, but remains on the outside looking in with his competition going mostly unrecognized by fans in North America. The 26-year-old is currently No. 7 at 125 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.

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