The organisers of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Flash Entertainment have confirmed the first ever UFC open-air event for Yas Marina on 10th April.

Some of the world’s greatest mixed martial artists will appear at the UFC 112 event, which is being held at a specially-built outdoor arena in Ferrari World.

Lorenzo Fertitta, co-owner of the UFC, said: “The facility that is going to be built at Ferrari World on Yas Island is just for this event and is going to be incredible. Our partners, Flash, already have a reputation for putting on the best events in the Middle East, and the plans they showed me were fantastic.”

UFC is a mixed martial arts discipline that separates the men from the boys, essentially because there are very few rules by comparison with most other combat sports. Topped by a double main event, two UFC titles will be on the line at UFC 112. First, UFC lightweight champion BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn will put his belt on the line against No 1 contender Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar. Then UFC middleweight supremo Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva will defend his crown against fellow Brazilian Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort.

The four fighters were special guests of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) this week as part of a visit to the capital to promote the event. They were joined by Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend and regular visitor to Abu Dhabi, Renzo Gracie, who will be making his UFC debut here in April. The fighters took time to meet members of the club, answer their questions and help with a coaching session before visiting the site of UFC 112 on Yas Island.