In a major announcement, former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will make his return to the Octagon on February 1. He is set to face top contender Nassourdine Imavov in a five-round, non-title bout at a UFC Fight Night event at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the matchup Saturday morning ahead of UFC Tampa.
This marks Adesanya’s first non-title fight since 2019 when he faced Anderson Silva. The New Zealander, who holds a professional record of 24-4, enjoyed a dominant reign as middleweight champion, defending the belt five times between 2020 and 2022.
Adesanya reclaimed the title in 2023 with a dramatic knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287, earning widespread Knockout of the Year honors. However, the 35-year-old has since suffered consecutive losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis.
His opponent, 29-year-old Nassourdine Imavov (15-4, 1 NC), is riding high after three straight victories over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, and Brendan Allen. The French fighter, who was born in Russia, has won seven of his 10 UFC fights and is pushing for a title shot.
The February 1 card will also feature an exciting middleweight co-main event between Michael “Venom” Page and rising star Shara Magomedov. Page (22-3), a former Bellator standout, called out Magomedov after the Russian’s stunning double spinning backfist knockout of Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308 in October. Page, 37, has split his two UFC fights to date, defeating Kevin Holland but losing to Ian Machado Garry.
Magomedov (15-0) enters the bout undefeated, with four consecutive UFC wins and several highlight-reel knockouts. The 30-year-old remains one of the division’s most dangerous prospects.
With these high-stakes matchups, the Riyadh event promises to deliver fireworks for fight fans.