The March 26 card for UAE Warriors 28 is set to feature two championship bouts, with Canadian fighter Corinne Laframboise in pursuit of the gold.
The headline bout pits reigning light heavyweight champion Tarek Suleiman against Will Fleury as Suleiman steps down to middleweight to claim the inaugural middleweight title. Reports from sources reaching out to MMA Empire confirm that Laframboise (7-4) will clash with Venezuela's Carolina Jimenez (7-0) in the co-main event to decide the vacant UAE Warriors flyweight championship. The Saturday, March 26 showdown takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and will stream live on UFC Fight Pass.
Laframboise enters the bout riding momentum with four victories in her past five outings, including a current two-fight winning streak. Most recently, in September, the Montreal, Que. native delivered a first-round TKO victory against Elin Oberg, following that up with a submission win over Malin Hermansson. Her sole recent setback arrived in July 2020 when Manon Fiorot handed her a third-round TKO. Fiorot, formerly the UAE Warriors flyweight champion, currently sits at number 13 in the UFC's flyweight rankings.
Jimenez makes only her second UAE Warriors appearance, having debuted in June with a first-round submission victory over Lucrezia Ria. She previously competed in the Invicta Phoenix Series 2 tournament, falling to Kay Hansen via decision in the opening round. Before joining UAE Warriors, Jimenez fought locally in Venezuela and boasts six stoppage victories out of her seven wins.
Also on the UAE Warriors 28 card, the middleweight championship bout heads the card alongside Fabricio Sarraff taking on Sarvadzhon Khamidov, a matchup MyMMANews broke earlier today. Rising prospect Dakota Ditcheva aims to maintain her unblemished record as she faces Paula Christina.
This marks the second installment of a three-event series hosted by UAE Warriors across three consecutive days at the Etihad Arena, spotlighting fighters from around the world. UAE Warriors 27 on March 25 features African competitors, UAE Warriors 28 on March 26 showcases international talent, and UAE Warriors 29 on March 27 highlights Arabian fighters. Each event broadcasts live on UFC Fight Pass.
