Islam Dulatov is back after about 12 months away from the Octagon, and he gets Wellington Turman on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Dulatov said Ramadan and a personal family matter kept him out, but he said the break is over now and the timing finally works.
That makes Dulatov Vs Turman more than just another welterweight booking. It is Dulatov’s first UFC appearance since last summer, when he made his debut at UFC 318 and stopped Adam Fugitt with a straight right hand in the first round, extending his winning streak to 12 and keeping his finishing rate at 100 percent.
For readers searching now, the appeal is simple: Dulatov’s return comes with a résumé that already suggests he can end a fight fast. He said he knew he was going to finish Fugitt in the first round and did exactly that, then said he has spent the past year away because he could not accept a fight during Ramadan and also needed time for something personal with his family. “We were going through some stuff, but the most important thing is that everything is good now, everything is done,” he said.
Turman brings a very different kind of test. He turns 30 on Wednesday and will be competing for the first time in over two years when he meets Dulatov. He reached the UFC at 22, lost a split decision in his debut to Karl Roberson, went 3-3 in his next six UFC appearances at middleweight, then moved to welterweight and has since suffered two losses and an extended hiatus.
That gap in experience is the part Dulatov keeps circling back to. He said Turman has nine fights in the UFC, eight more than he does, and called him a tough, dangerous opponent. But Dulatov also said he plans to knock Turman out, and he said Turman’s record shows a pattern: when he faced stronger opposition, he lost, and when the matchup tilted his way, he won.
That is the friction inside this fight. Dulatov has the cleaner momentum, the fresher finish and the confidence of a fighter who still believes he can dictate the ending. Turman has the deeper UFC mileage, the longer time at the highest level and enough experience to know a return fight can turn messy fast. On Saturday in Abu Dhabi, the question is not whether Dulatov believes he can stop him. It is whether the year away has changed the timing, and whether Turman can make him pay for it.
