A two-time UFC champion, Adesanya lost his third straight fight − this time by a technical knock out to Nassourdine Imavov in a matchup of middleweights.
Imavov dropped him with an overhand right and continued to pummel him on the ground before the referee stopped the fight 30 seconds into the second round.
It was Adesanya’s first non-title fight since 2019, and it’s unclear when – maybe if – the 35-year-old fight he’ll get another title shot as his record dropped to 24-5 after his fourth defeat in five matches.
Imavov, a 28-year-old from France, won his fourth straight fight and improved to 16-4.
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A recap of the rest of the fight card:
Michael Page def. Shara Magomedov by unanimous decision
Quick and elusive, Page rode those skills to victory in the middleweight bout and handed Magomedov the first loss of the Russian’s career.
Page, bouncing on the balls of his feet, largely avoided any powerful kicks and punches. But he delivered them. And, under attack late in the third round, Page fended off Magomedov with a solid left jab.
The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 in favor of Page.
Page, the 37-year-old Brit, improved to 23-3. Magomedov, the 30-year-old Russian, fell to 15-1.
Sergei Pavlovich def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik by unanimous decision
It was no crowd pleaser, with lulls in the action twice prompting the referee to urge the fighters, “OK, let’s go.’’
When they did get going, albeit for brief stretches, Pavlovich dominated the heavyweight bout with his superior striking.
The crowd booed when the action slowed, but there was no doubt about the outcome. All three judges scored it 30-27 for Pavlovich, the 32-year-old Russian who improved to 19-3.
Rozenstruik, a 36-year-old from Suriname, fell to 15-6.
Vinicius Oliveira def. Said Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision
Oliveira winced and held the left side of his rib cage after his victory, the explained he’d fought through the lingering injury during an entertaining bantamweight bout.
Looking like a whirling dervish, Nurmagomedov landed a series of kicks early and controlled the first round. But he look spent heading into the second round, which is when Oliveira began to rev up his attack.
All three judges scored in 29-28 in favor of Oliveira, a 29-year-old Brazilian who improved to 22-3. Nurmagomedov, a 32-year-old Russian, dropped to 18.4.
Fares Ziam def. Mike Davis by unanimous decision
On a blood-splattered mat, Ziam won the lightweight bout in impressive fashion. He finished coated in blood, most of which belonged to Davis.
The blood poured after Ziam landed a blow in the second round that opened up a deep cut. Though he dominated the fight, Davis struck hard toward the end of the third round.
He opened up a cut over Ziam’s, and the Frenchmen still was bleeding during his victorious, postfight interview in the Octagon.
All three judges scored it 30-27 for Ziam, the 27-year-old Frenchman, who improved to 17-4. Davis, a 32-year-old American, dropped to 11-3.
Muhammad Naimov def. Kaan Ofli by unanimous decision
Naimov took a kick to the groin in the first round and needed more than a minute before he could continue. It was the only time he looked hurt in the featherweight bout.
On their feet, each fighter landed ample punches. But Naimov won the fight on the ground, where he pummeled Ofli for significant stretches.
The judges scored the fight 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Naimov, a 30-year-old from Tajikistan, improved to 12-3. Ofli, a 31-year-old Australian, fell to 11-4-1.
Shamil Gaziev def. Thomas Petersen by TKO
Gaziev displayed impressive power, especially on the final punch of the heavyweight bout. He floored Petersen with a right cross for a TKO victory in the first round.
Earlier in the round, Petersen scored a takedown but couldn’t keep down Gaziev long. Back on his feet, Gaziev went on the attack with his fists and Petersen proved vulnerable.
The referee stopped the fight at 3:12 of the first round.
Gaziev, 34-year-old Russian, improved to 13-1. Petersen, a 29-year-old American, fell to 9-3.
Terrance McKinney def. Damir Hadzovic by TKO
With his signature aggression, McKinney needed just two minutes to finish off Hadzovic in their lightweight bout.
McKinney opened with head kicks, then scored a takedown that lead to a barrage of elbows and punches to Hadzovic’s head. With blood on the mat, the referee halted the fight.
Of his 16 victories, 15 have come in the first round. McKinney, a 30-year-old from Chicago, improved to 16-7.
16-7. Hadzovic, a 38-year-old native of Bosnia, fell to 14-8.
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision
Jasudavicius scored takedowns in all three rounds and each time battered Silva on her way to victory by unanimous decision in their flyweight bout.
The rounds were close – that is, until Jasudavicius scored her takedowns. She capitalized on them all, landing body shots and headshots while subduing her Silva.
All three judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Jasudavicius, a 35-year-old Canadian who improved to 13-3.
Silva, a 33-year-old Brazilian, fell to 10-5-1.
Bogdan Grad def. Lucas Alexander by TKO
Grad dropped Alexander with a right hand in the second round, then unleashed a series or punches and elbows to the head before scoring a second-round TKO in their featherweight bout.
Alexander appeared to win the first round and dropped Grad to the canvas with a leg kick early in the second round. But Grad rose to his feet, responded with that crushing right and soon after smothered Alexander with punches and elbows. The referee stopped the fight with 27 seconds left in the round.
Grad, the Romanian-born 29-year-old improved to 15-2. Alexander, a 29-year-old Brazilian, dropped to 8-5.
Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Jamal Pogues by split decision
Pogues wept as he walked to the Octagon. He smiled at times while landing punches during the fight. But after his heavyweight bout against Abdelwahab, he was frowning.
In his first UFC bout in more than two years, Abdelwahab won by split decision. After the fight he said he didn’t think he did enough to win. But the judges disagreed.
They scored the fight 27-30, 29-28, 29-28 in Abdelwahab’s favor even though Pogues appeared to land considerably more punches.
Abdelwahab, the 32-year-old Egyptian and one-time Olympic wrestler, improved to 6-0. Pogues, a 29-year-old American, fell to 11-5.
UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia fight card
Main Card
Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov, Middleweight
Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page, Middleweight
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Heavyweight
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira, Bantamweight
Mike Davis vs. Fares Ziam, Lightweight
Prelims
Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli, Featherweight
Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen, Heavyweight
Damir Hadzovic vs. Terrance McKinney, Lightweight
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva, Women’s Flyweight
Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad, Featherweight
Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues, Heavyweight
UFC Saudi Arabia: Time, TV, streaming for Adesanya vs. Imavov
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1
Time: Prelims begin at 9 a.m. ET; Main card begins at noon ET
Location: ANB Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
TV: N/A
Stream: ESPN+ PPV
Catch UFC action with an ESPN+ subscription
UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia odds
All odds are for moneyline bets (as of Saturday), according to BetMGM.
Main Card
Israel Adesanya (-170) vs. Nassourdine Imavov (+140)
Shara Magomedov (-185) vs. Michael Page (-185)
Sergei Pavlovich (-325) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (+260)
Said Nurmagomedov (-160) vs. Vinicius Oliveira (+135)
Mike Davis (-140) vs. Fares Ziam (+115)
Prelims
Muhammad Naimov (-325) vs. Kaan Ofli (+260)
Shamil Gaziev (-350) vs. Thomas Petersen (+280)
Damir Hadzovic (+360) vs. Terrance McKinney (-500)
Jasmine Jasudavicius (-250) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (+200)
Lucas Alexander (-125) vs. Bogdan Grad (+105)
Hamdy Abdelwahab (-115) vs. Jamal Pogues (-105)
UFC Saudi Arabia predictions
MMA Junkie: Majority picks Adesanya
Nolan King: Adesanya, 8-3
Matt Erickson: Adesanya, 8-3
Simon Samano: Imavov, 7-4
Brian Garcia: Imavov, 7-4
George Garcia: Adesanya, 7-4
Matthew Wells: Adesanya, 6-5
Danny Segura: Imavov, 6-5
Ken Hathaway: Imavov, 5-6
Farah Hannoun: Adesanya, 5-6
Abbey Subhan: Adesanya, 5-6
Mike Bohn: Adesanya, 3-8
MMA Junkie readers’ picks: 79% take Adesanya
Forbes: Adesanya to win via decision
Trent Reinsmith writes, ‘With two straight losses, it’s fair to ask if the 35-year-old Adesanya has begun his downward slide. I don’t believe that to be the case, especially when it comes to his striking. If Adesanya can keep the fight standing, this one is his to lose. However, if Imavov decided to make it a wrestling match, things could get interesting. The pick is for Adesanya to win via decision.’
ClutchPoints : Adesanya to win
Dominik Zawartko writes, ‘This fight should be fun to watch from a fan’s perspective as we’re bound to see some elite striking from both sides. However, Israel Adesanya is too adept at gauging the range and I don’t believe Imavov will be able to close the distance effectively. Furthermore, we know Izzy can absorb big shots and I don’t see Imavov threatening too much with the knockout.
Expect this fight to carry into the later rounds, but we’ll roll with Israel Adesanya to win this fight and show shades of his old untouchable self.’
VSiN: Advantage Adesanya
Lou Finocchiaro writes, ‘Adesanya’s athleticism, reach and length advantages will position him to potentially shred Imavov as long as Adesanya can keep this fight at distance and upright and provided he decides this is what he really wants.
‘Early on, this fight makes out to be a tight, competitive bout. However, should it enter the third round and beyond, a focused, motivated Adesanya, with his experience and competition faced, will hold advantage. There’s just one question: Which Issy do we get?’
Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov: Tale of the tape
UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia price
UFC events are available to ESPN+ subscribers for $119.99 for the entire year. You can also purchase a monthly subscription of ESPN+ for $11.99.
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