The UFC returns to Saudi Arabia with Fight Night 250 on Saturday night, with the main event at ANB Arena in Riyadh pitting former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya against rising contender Nassourdine Imavov.
Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) is a two-time title holder in the 185-pound weight class and enters as the No. 3 middleweight fighter, but he has also dropped three of his past five fights. Imavov (15-4, 7-2) is ranked No. 8, having won three consecutive fights.
This is the first time Adesanya has fought in a non-title bout since UFC 234 nearly six years ago, but that’s the position the 35-year-old finds himself as he attempts to rebound from losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. He opened as the -185 favorite at BetMGM, where Adesanya has been backed by 62 percent of the total bets while seeing his odds shift to -170.
“Just because there’s not a belt on the line, I don’t want to diminish this fight like it’s not important,” Adesanya said this week, per MMAJunkie.com. “This is still an important fight for me. Again, I’m saying I’m doing this for myself. I’m kind of being selfish.
“Like, I fight for myself, I fight for my team, my family, and my real fans, but this one I’m putting myself first. I’m trying to do this one for myself, so it’s really important to me.”
Imavov is unbeaten in his past four trips inside the Octagon, and his lone loss in his past eight fights was in a short-notice light heavyweight bout against Strickland.
This is a critical bout for both fighters in their effort to position themselves for a crack at the title, with Du Plessis putting his title on the line against Strickland in Sydney next week.
Imavov has drawn 59 percent of the money as the +140 underdog Saturday night. He’s looking for his fourth win in a calendar year, which he hopes would push him past Khamzat Chimaev as the No. 1 contender.
“I think (Adesanya is) going to come very focused, very hungry,” Imavov said through an interpreter. “Even though I don’t focus too much on him, I focus more on myself, what I’m going to do, the shape I’m going to be in the fight, and I hope he’s going to be in the best shape so I can beat the best Israel Adesanya.”
OTHER MAIN CARD FIGHTS
SHARA MAGOMEDOV (15-0, 4-0) vs. MICHAEL PAGE (22-3, 1-1)
The 30-year-old Magomedov knocked out Armen Petrosyan in his most recent fight to run his promotion record to 4-0 following wins over Bruno Silva, Antonio Trocoli and Michal Oleksiejczuk. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old Page scored a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland before losing to Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303.
Magomedov is the -185 favorite, having drawn 70 percent of the money while the total bets have been nearly split with Rozenstruik (+260)
SERGEI PAVLOVICH (18-3, 6-3) vs. JAIRZINHO ROZENSTRUIK (15-5, 9-5)
The battle of top-10 heavyweights sees Pavlovich attempting to snap a two-fight skid while Rozenstruik enters Saturday riding a two-fight winning streak.
Pavlovich is the heavy -325 favorite despite losses to Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov, and has been backed by 62 percent of the money at -325. Meanwhile, Rozenstruik has drawn 78 percent of the total bets at +260 as he looks to build on wins over Shamil Gazievto and Tai Tuivasa.
SAID NURMAGOMEDOV (18-3, 7-2) vs. VINICIUS OLIVEIRA (21-3, 2-0)
This is one of the most anticipated fights on the card as a pair of bantamweights seek an impressive victory.
When Nurmagomedov returns to the Octagon for the first time since beating Muin Gufurov 15 months ago, he’ll do so against the rising Oliveira. A graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, Oliveira has defeated Benardo Sopaj and Ricky Simpon to kick off his UFC career.
The 32-year-old Nurmagomedov is the -160 favorite, but it’s Oliveira at +135 who has been backed by 65 percent of the total bets while the money wagered on the fight has been nearly split.
FARES ZIAM (16-4, 6-2) vs. MIKE DAVIS (11-2, 4-1)
Ziam, 27, is riding a four-fight win streak, most recently knocking out Frevola in the third round. Davis has also won four consecutive fights, including a second round submission of Natan Levy last March.
Davis opened as the -275 favorite but has seen those odds shrink to -140 while Ziam has been backed by 51 percent of the bets and 52 percent of the money.
MUHAMMAD NAIMOV (11-3, 3-1 ) vs. KAAN OFLI (11-3-1, 4-1)
The main card kicks off with a featherweight fight. Naimov is coming off a short-notice stoppage defeat to Felipe Lima after three wins to begin his UFC career, while the former Ultimate Fighter 32 contestant Ofli was stopped by Mairon Santos in August.
It’s an important fight for both as they attempt to rise the contender rankings. Naimov has drawn a whopping 91 percent of the money as the -350 favorite to hand Ofli (+275) a second consecutive defeat.
–Field Level Media
