UFC CEO Dana White (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC, Getty Images)
UFC Saudi Arabia will feel like a pay-per-view event.
On Saturday, UFC president Dana White announced two huge middleweight bouts that could be part of the pay-per-view event’s main card.
In the main event on February 1st, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will take on No. 5 middleweight contender Nasouddin Imavov. In the co-main event, rising middleweight challenger Shara Magomedov, ranked No. 14, will face Michael Venom Page in his first UFC fight at middleweight.
Let’s take a look at Mr. White’s announcement here.
Adesanya enters this fight ranked No. 2. He’s at a stage in his career where if he loses, his ranking drops. Adesanya is looking to make a comeback after losing his last fight to champion Drikas du Plessis, but some are wondering if the MMA icon is nearing retirement.
Miami, FL – April 8: Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya reacts after knocking out Alex Pereira … [+]
Imavov is doing great.
He has won three straight, including a unanimous decision win over Brendan Allen in September. The main event will say a lot about the immediate future of the UFC’s middleweight division.
The co-main event won’t have any immediate title implications, but it will be a big test for Magomedov and MVP. Magomedov was coming off a historic double spinning backfist knockout victory, while Page lost a close decision to Ian Machado Garry at welterweight.
If Page wins, a new weight class could be created in the UFC. If Magomedov wins, he will be free to continue climbing the 185-pound ladder. We’ll see what else is added to this card, but for now, UFC Saudi Arabia has looks that could be a banger.
Robert Whittaker is excited for the main event of UFC 311
The UFC is off to a fast start heading into 2025. The first pay-per-view show of the year will also be held in Los Angeles before UFC 312, which features a Saudi Arabian tournament and two world championship bouts. New Intuit Arena.
Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan, and Merab Dvalishvili will defend his UFC bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker shares his thoughts on the card and the main event of UFC 311.
“Well, I think this is a banger card,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade podcast. “And Islam vs. Arman [Tsarukyan]bro, it’s…that fight is going to answer every question every fan has. period. yes. yes. right. I’m not going to go into too much detail because everyone wants to know how good Armand is. And everyone wants to know how great Islam is. And the battle will speak for itself. ”
The promotion will take a three-week hiatus after Saturday night’s UFC Tampa event, but once the ball starts rolling in 2025, it should be nearly non-stop action for the next 12 months.
