White Confirms Izzy Vs. Imavov, Shara Bullet Vs. 'MVP'

12/14/2024 01:00 PM

Dana White revealed some juicy fight news early Saturday as the UFC CEO took to social media to confirm a main event clash between former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and rising contender Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, 2025 from inside The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The two middleweights were expected to come to terms on a main event clash so this shouldn't be that big of a surprise.

Adesanya, who is a two-time UFC middleweight champion, is coming off a disappointing submission loss to current titleholder Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 this past August. It was the first time in Adesanya's professional MMA career that he's lost back-to-back fights after coming up short against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Sept. 2023. Fighting a dangerous contender like Imavov to begin the new year is a great way for "Last Stylebender" to make his push back towards title contention.

Imavov, on the other hand, is unbeaten in his last four trips to the Octagon. This includes a decision win over Roman Dolidze, a knockout stoppage over former UFC title challenger Jared Cannonier, and most recently a co-main event decision win over Brendan Allen back in September. Imavov still needs a win over a top name at 185 pounds to inch his way closer to his first-ever UFC title shot and Adesanya will be able to offer just that.

Luckily, the fun won't stop there. White announced a second middleweight matchup that will unfold at UFC Saudi Arabia this February. It will be a clash of strikers as undefeated Russian sensation Shara Magomedov meets former Bellator MMA champion and long-time MMA veteran Michael "Venom" Page, who is coming off a decision loss to Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 this past summer.

Check out White's official announcement video below:

Stick with Mania for more UFC Saudi Arabia fight card news.