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Nassourdine Imavov secured the biggest win of his career on Saturday in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, earning a second-round TKO victory over former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. A massive overhand right dropped Adesanya in the opening moments of Round 2. As Adesanya attempted to get back to his feet, a follow-up left hook sent him crashing down again.
A few ground-and-pound strikes forced referee Marc Goddard to step in and stop the fight. Here is a look at the finish that earned Imavov a performance bonus: The stunning finish may have marked the end of an era. With this loss, Adesanya is now on a three-fight losing streak.
For a moment, it appeared he might remove his gloves and announce his retirement. That didn’t happen, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Adesanya ultimately decides to step away after taking time to process the loss. Regardless of his next move, Adesanya is an automatic entry into the UFC Hall of Fame.
He remains one of only three men in history to have won and defended the UFC middleweight title three or more times. He’s also the only fighter to have defeated Alex Pereira in the Octagon. As for Imavov, he has now placed himself firmly behind Khamzat Chimaev as the next contender for the UFC middleweight title.
The focus now shifts to UFC 312 in Australia on February 8, where champion Dricus du Plessis will defend his belt against Sean Strickland in the main event. The winner of that fight is expected to face Chimaev next. If everything unfolds as expected, Imavov should get his title shot in late 2025.
UFC Saudi Arabia Co-Main Event – MVP is the Captain Now In the co-main event, Michael “Venom” Page proved that he’s the captain now—literally. After delivering a masterclass in striking to hand Shara Magomedov his first professional loss, MVP even took the mic to deliver the iconic line from the movie Captain Phillips . MVP controlled the fight from start to finish, using his speed, accuracy, and movement to neutralize everything Magomedov attempted in the Octagon.
His efforts earned him a unanimous decision victory (30-27x2, 29-28). While it wasn’t an action-packed fight, MVP dominated every key moment. UFC Saudi Arabia Full Results Main Card Results Preliminary Card Results Rarely do you see a fighter take one clean shot, hit the mat, and immediately remove their own mouthpiece before the referee steps in.
That’s exactly what happened when Gaziev landed a hard straight right hand, sending Petersen crashing to the canvas. It was a statement victory for Gaziev, who entered the fight ranked No. 14.
Expect him to face a Top-10 opponent next. Always exciting, McKinney produced another win by finish as he made quick work of Hadžović. Grad got the gratifying finish over Alexander.
The latter lost after missing weight for the second straight fight. If there is someone on this card in danger of being released, it’s Alexander. Grad earned a performance bonus for his win.
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