Fan favorite Mike Davis has his next fight booked. The American fighter takes on undefeated Nurullo Aliev on July 25 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Multiple sources have confirmed the booking to Heavy.com after a report by the UFC Tajikistan account on IG. The fight takes place in the lightweight division. The main event of the card is a light-heavyweight match-up between former champion Magomed Ankalaev and Khalil Rountree Jr.
Mike Davis Always Brings The Heat In The Octagon
Mike Davis is a 33-year-old fighter training out of Orlando, Florida. He turned professional in 2015 after winning three amateur titles. Davis won his first five MMA fights and also did a couple of boxing fights in between. In 2018, he got his shot at a UFC contract during Dana White’s Contender Series. Davis went into the fight as a favorite against Sodiq Yusuff but wasn’t able to implement his game plan. After three exciting rounds, Davis lost the fight via unanimous decision. To this day, it remains one of the best fights in Dana White’s Contender Series history. Davis returned to the regional circuit, where he secured two victories, including an Island Fights title, before getting a short-notice call-up from the UFC. Davis took on highly touted Gilbert Burns in his debut.
The fight against an opponent of that caliber came too early for Davis. Burns won in the second round via rear-naked choke submission. Right before the end of 2019, Davis got his first UFC win by finishing Thomas Gifford. Davis had trouble being active in the UFC due to injuries and opponents pulling out. In 2021, he won the fight of the night bonus, beating Mason Jones after three rounds. Davis also beat Viacheslav Borshchev and Natan Levy and looked to get into the rankings in 2025 when he took on Fares Ziam. Davis didn’t look like himself in that fight, dropping a unanimous decision to the French fighter. However, in his most recent outing last summer, he bounced back with a TKO victory over Mitch Ramirez. Now, a year later, he aims to hand Nurullo Aliev his first loss of his undefeated career.
The Undefeated Tajik Eagle Aims For A Top 15 Spot
Aliev was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in 2000. The undefeated fighter started his amateur career in 2017, but after two wins, he turned professional. Aliev fought most of his early fights in Russia. In his first year as a pro, he went 4-0 with a win against Makkasharip Zaynukov. Due to injuries, he only fought once a year until 2023. After beating Kirill Kryukov in 2021, Aliev got the opportunity to earn a contract during Dana White’s Contender Series. Aliev beat Josh Wick in the first round by TKO and got signed to the UFC.
Aliev made his debut in 2023 against Rafael Alves. Aliev got a point deduction in the fight because he bit Alves’ fingers. Alves didn’t get a warning for putting his fingers in the Tajik’s fighter’s mouth. At the end, Aliev had done enough to win via majority decision. Due to injuries, Aliev didn’t fight in 2024 and returned in 2025. For the first time in almost eight years, Aliev finally fought more than once a year. The Tajik fighter beat both Joe Solecki and Shem Rock by unanimous decision, getting his record to 11-0. Now he takes on Mike Davis and hopes with a win to get close to the top 15.
UFC Abu Dhabi – July 25 (Etihad Arena)
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
- Umar Nurmagomedov vs. David Martínez
- Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune
- Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov
- Valter Walker vs. Thomas Petersen
- Nurullo Aliev vs. Mike Davis
- Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola
- Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman
- Abdul Hussein vs. Muin Gafurov
- Magomed Tuchalov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
- Abubakar Vagaev vs. TBA
Mike Davis Takes on Undefeated Prospect During UFC Abu Dhabi