The next fight of Israel Adesanya has been confirmed against Nassourdine Imavov on February 1, headlining UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia. The event takes place at ANB Arena, formerly The Venue, in Riyadh. The pair square off in a five-rounder at middleweight.
Adesanya (24-4) looks to bounce back from a pair of defeats. The former two-time middleweight champion lost his previous fight in August by submission in the fourth round against current champion Dricus du Plessis. In September 2023, the Nigerian-born, New Zealand-based 35-year-old dropped a unanimous decision, as well as the belt, against Sean Strickland. Adesanya’s previous victory goes back to April 2023, when he knocked out old rival Alex Pereira in the second round of their rematch in MMA.
France-based Imavov (15-4, 1 NC) aims for his fourth win in a row, following three successful outings in 2024. The 29-year-old defeated Brendan Allen by unanimous decision in September, stopped Jared Cannonier in the fourth round in June, and took a majority decision against Roman Dolidze in February.
Dana White confirmed the Adesanya vs Imavov clash as the UFC Saudi Arabia main event via a new short video. The UFC CEO also confirmed the co-main event bout, pitting Sharabutdin Magomedov against Michael “Venom” Page, also at middleweight.
Unbeaten 30-year-old Magomedov (15-0) knocked out Armen Petrosyan in the second round in October and secured his third win of the year. The 37-year-old Page (22-3) of England suffered a defeat by unanimous decision against Ian Machado Garry in June, which snapped his two-fight winning streak.
The current lineup for UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Imavov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is as follows:
- Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Michael Page
- Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues
- Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen
- Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad
- Damir Hadzovic vs. Terrance McKinney
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira
- Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli
- Jordan Leavitt vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
- Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael Fiziev