'Sign me up'… Israel Adesanya's 10-fight undercard gets fans excited about latest UFC Saudi Arabia show
12/23/2024 02:10 PM
Israel Adesanya’s upcoming UFC Saudi Arabia headliner features 10 undercard fights with a nice blend of stylistic matchups and ranked contenders.
It’s rare to see former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya headlining a UFC Fight Night card. But ahead of his UFC Saudi Arabia main event against Nassourdine Imavov, Adesanya’s first Fight Night showcase features a pay-per-view quality undercard.
Adesanya and Imavov square off in the UFC Saudi Arabia main event on February 1st in Riyadh. The card marks the promotion’s return to the kingdom after hosting a UFC Fight Night event in June, featuring another middleweight headliner between Robert Whittaker and Ikram Aliskerov.
Adesanya returns to the cage for the first time looking to overcome back-to-back title fight defeats. While Adesanya’s return against the surging Imavov is at the top of the heap, there are many extraordinary matchups on the undercard, including a middleweight co-main between Shara Magomedov and Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
Ranked fighters such as Sergei Pavlovich, Shamil Gaziev, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik will also return at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Fans go ballistic after UFC Saudi Arabia bout list revealed featuring Israel Adesanya
After the UFC revealed the full bout list for its upcoming Saudi Arabia card, fans went wild on social media.
“This is a banging card,” one fan tweeted.
“Pretty phenomenal lineup for a fight night card! Looking forward to another great year of UFC events!”
“11/10 Fight Night.”
“Loaded UFC fight night card? Sign me up.”
“Ridiculous card.”
“Grab it fans!”
“Do I travel to Saudi Arabia just to watch Shara ??”
“[Riyadh Season] is dominating the fight game right now.”
UFC Saudi Arabia is one of many marquee events scheduled in the kingdom in 2025. Just three weeks after the UFC’s return, Riyadh will play host to one of the most stacked cards in boxing history, featuring a light heavyweight title rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Israel Adesanya seeks redemption after Dricus du Plessis loss
Adesanya faces a ‘must-win’ situation at UFC Saudi Arabia to keep his title hopes within grasp. After back-to-back defeats, and approaching his late 30s, Adesanya’s proposed retirement deadline is on the horizon.
Adesanya fell short against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 earlier this year, losing by fourth-round submission. It was the first time he was submitted in his MMA career and just the fourth defeat of his UFC promotional tenure.
Before the du Plessis fight, Adesanya suffered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 last year. The loss abruptly ended his second middleweight title reign after reclaiming the belt against Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
Imavov gets the biggest booking of his UFC career after recent wins over Jared Cannonier, Roman Dolidze, and Brendan Allen. He’s unbeaten through his last four fights since a light heavyweight loss to Strickland last year.
Adesanya vs. Imavov is one of the early marquee UFC fights in 2025, and the rest of the fight lineup presents a potential all-time great event in Saudi Arabia.
