Adesanya vs. Shara Magomedov Targeted for UFC Saudi Arabia Main Event

Israel Adesanya is reportedly heading back to the Octagon sooner than expected. According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the former UFC middleweight champion will face Sharabutdin Magomedov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on Dec. 5. At the time of the report, the promotion had not formally announced the booking.

Four straight losses

Adesanya's last UFC win came in his UFC 287 rematch with Alex Pereira. Since then, he has lost four straight fights, the first losing skid of his professional MMA career, including recent TKO defeats against Nassourdine Imavov and Joe Pyfer. Before this run, his only losses had come against Jan Blachowicz and Pereira.

After the loss to Pyfer at UFC Seattle, Adesanya sounded uncertain about continuing in mixed martial arts. He has since parted ways with City Kickboxing and is looking for a fresh start in the next chapter of his career. The original expectation was that he would not return until 2027, so a December headliner would put him back in action well ahead of that timeline.

A first main event for Magomedov

Magomedov (17-1) is a Muay Thai specialist who is coming off back-to-back wins over Michel Pereira and Marc-Andre Barriault, and during his UFC run he has knocked out Antonio Trocoli and Armen Petrosyan. The Saudi Arabia card would be the first time he headlines a UFC event.

The booking also comes at a time of uncertainty at the top of the division, with middleweight champion Sean Strickland threatening to leave the UFC to pursue a boxing match against Jake Paul. The rest of the UFC Saudi Arabia lineup is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.