Israel Adesanya headlines UFC Saudi Arabia vs. Nassourdine Imavov

UFC star Israel Adesanya finds himself he hasn’t been in for almost six years.

On Feb. 1, Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) will compete in his first non-title bout since February 2019 when he headlines a UFC Fight Night 250 card vs. Nassourdine Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC). The card takes place at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+).

UFC CEO Dana White announced the headliner on Saturday. The bout was first reported by Knockout Alerts.

Adesanya, 35, aims to snap the first multi-loss skid of his MMA career. After his upset unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland in September 2023. He then challenged rival Dricus Du Plessis for gold in August and was submitted in Round 4.

Imavov, 28, has slowly but surely climbed the middleweight ladder since his debut in October 2020. He rides a three-fight winning streak into the most high-profile fight of his career. That streak is comprised of victories over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, and Brendan Allen.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 250 lineup includes:

• Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov
• Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page
• Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
• Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira
• Damir Hadzovic vs. Terrance McKinney
• Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Jordan Leavitt
• Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad
• Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli
• Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
• Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Saudi Arabia.