UFC CEO Dana White (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC Saudi Arabia will be like a pay-per-view event.
On Saturday, UFC President Dana White announced two huge middleweight fights that could easily be part of a main card at a pay-per-view event.
In the main event of the Feb. 1 event, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya faces No. 5 Middleweight Nassourdine Imavov. In the co-main event, rising middleweight star and No. 14-ranked Shara Magomedov takes on Michael Venom Page in the latter’s first UFC middleweight bout.
Here is a look at White’s announcement.
Adesanya enters the match ranked No. 2. He’s at the point in his career where his losses will send him down the rankings. Adesanya is coming off a loss to champion Dricus du Plessis in his last fight and some have wondered if retirement is imminent for the MMA icon.
MIAMI, FL – APRIL 08: Israel Adesanya of Nigeria reacts after hitting Alex Pereira of … [+]
Imavov is on a hot streak.
He has won three in a row and is coming off the back of a unanimous decision win over Brendan Allen in September. The main event will tell us a lot about the immediate future of the UFC middleweight division.
The co-main event won’t have immediate title implications, but it’s an important test for Magomedov and MVP. Magomedov is coming off a historic double backfist KO win, while Page lost a narrow decision to welterweight Ian Machado Garry.
If Page wins, he could have a new division in the UFC. If Magomedov wins, he will be free to continue his climb up the 185-pound ladder. We’ll see what else is added to the card, but for now, UFC Saudi Arabia has the sights set on being flashy.
Robert Whittaker is Stoked for the UFC 311 Main Event
The UFC is on a fast track to kick off 2025. Even before the Saudi Arabian event and UFC 312, which will feature two world championship bouts, the first pay-per-view show of the year will take place in Los Angeles at the new Intuit Arena.
Islam Makhachev defends his UFC lightweight title against Arman Tsarukian and Merab Dvalishvili will defend his UFC lightweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker shared his thoughts on the UFC 311 card and main event.
“Well, I think that’s a card hit,” Whittaker said to his MMarcade Podcast. “And, Islam vs. Arman [Tsarukyan]man, this is… This match will answer all the questions every fan has. Period. Yes. Yes. Right. Because I’m not going to go into it too much, but everyone wants to know how good Armaan is. And everyone wants to know how good Islam is. And this match will tell you.”
The promotion takes three weeks off after Saturday night’s UFC Tampa event, but once the ball gets rolling in 2025, the action will be almost non-stop for the next 12 months.
