Adesanya vs. Imavov Set As UFC Saudi Main Event

Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov has been announced as the main event for UFC Saudi Arabia.
The event will take place on February 1, live from the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the UFC’s second event in the Kingdom. Adesanya enters the fight in the worst form of his career. He has lost his last two bouts. He succumbed to a shock fourth-round submission defeat in his previous fight against Dricus Du Plessis. The defeat prevented him from reclaiming his UFC Middleweight Title.
That was the same title he lost in the fight before when he took on Sean Strickland. Strickland beat him via a unanimous decision at UFC 293. Those defeats have left Izzy with serious question marks over his future. If he desires to secure another title shot, he cannot come up short against Imavov.
Adesanya Vs. Imavov
Imavov is certainly no pushover. He is a top-ten-ranked fighter. He arrives into the fight with three wins on the bounce. His latest victory was against Brendan Allen at UFC Paris. Wins over Jared Cannonier and Roman Dolidze followed that. Imavov knows this is his biggest test. And this will be his best chance of beating Izzy based on the latter’s form.
In the co-main event, Michael Page will square off against Shara Magomedov. Page will hope to bounce back from his previous performance against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303. He came up short, suffering the first UFC loss of his career. His only win was against Kevin Holland last year. Magomedov has a 4-0 record. He enters the bout with a UFC 308 victory against Armen Petrosyan. Dana White has now announced these fights, alongside a stacked card.
White Reacts
“What’s up, everybody? We are going back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 1. In the main event former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will face top five-ranked Nassourdine Imavov. This will be the first time Adesanya has been in a non-title fight since 2019. Adesanya is one of the most exciting and talented strikers to ever compete in the UFC.Out of 24 wins, 16 have come by knockout.
“He holds the UFC middleweight record for most knockdowns, second title fight wins and second longest win streak. He holds wins over Alex Pereira, Anderson Silva, Robert Whittaker, and the list just goes on and on. Imavov is one of the brightest young contenders in the division. He’s currently on a three fight win streak beating all ranked opponents, and he has a similar style to Israel. He loves to strike.
In the co-main event, undefeated Shara Magomedov faces Michael Page. Shara is coming off an incredible double spinning back fist win over Armen, which broke him into the rankings after just four fights in the UFC. 12 of his 15 fights have come by knockout, and he’s won a performance bonus in his last three fights. Every time this guy fights, you know, it will be action packed.
“MVP is one of the most entertaining fighters to ever come out of the UK, with an unorthodox karate style that is difficult for anybody to prepare for. He’s incredibly explosive and has the ability to finish fights quickly and violently. This will be a very fun fight, ladies and gentlemen, we’re returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, live on February 1, I will see you there,” White said
Other Fights
Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov
Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira
Damir Hadzovic vs. Terrance McKinney
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Jordan Leavitt
Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad
Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli
Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen
Comments

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.