Last night (Sat., Feb. 1, 2025), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to anb Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for UFC Saudi Arabia. Though the event was still a far higher-profile show than most “Fight Night” cards, it was perhaps most notable for losing THREE fights in the final week. Otherwise, the big story of the card was Israel Adesanya, and whether or not the former champion could remain a contender by avoiding a third-consecutive loss.
Let’s take a look back over at UFC Saudi Arabia’s best performances and techniques:
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Imavov Cracks Izzy
Israel Adesanya entered this fight looking rejuvenated. “Stylebender” was clearly in great physical condition, and he was visibly zoned in from the first bell. He started really well, smashing Imavov with hard body and low kicks at an excellent rate. He jabbed well and denied some very deep takedown attempts. Generally, he had the look of an aging fighter who put all the work into this camp and did everything right in pursuit of his best performance possible.
It just wasn’t enough.
Adesanya’s defense has always relied on range more than head movement. His default response to aggression is to slide back then lean back and counter. It’s how he won the title in the first place, but it’s also a gamble that relies upon top-notch reaction time and perfect distancing.
Twice in six minutes, Imavov broke through that rangy defense. In the first connection, a surprise uppercut shot Adesanya’s chin into the air and had him stumbling backwards. Just moments into the second, a blistering 1-2 caught Adesanya standing still with his hands low. The reaction wasn’t there. The distance wasn’t there. His legendary durability wasn’t quite there.
There was nothing to protect the former champion.
It’s a shame, but this is the end of Israel Adesanya as a contender. He’s fought extremely well for a long time, and he still has great technical ability. His physical attributes that allowed his style to work at an elite level, however, are beginning to slide … and there’s no way to get those back.
If he wants to keep fighting, there are fun fights available (see the next section, for example). If not, he’s accomplished an incredible amount in a short time and is clearly the second most accomplished Middleweight in UFC history. He’s also a standout champion in regards to taking chances and building a legacy quickly.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
MVP Stops The Bullet
Michael Page vs. Shara Magomedov looked a lot more like a the usual “MVP” fight than a typical Magomedov onslaught.
“Bullet” is famously high-volume and wild, the kind of fighter who throws a hundred strikes and still has the energy to chain together spinning backfists. None of that mattered against Page, however, because Magomedov just couldn’t find his opponent. In 15 full minutes, Page was struck in the face maybe five times? Possibly less.
Magomedov couldn’t land anything outside of low kicks, and even those weren’t finding the mark consistently. Meanwhile, Page was leaping into range with the powerful right hand, scoring his own low kicks, and tacking on the usual style points bonus via jumping knees and spinning kicks.
He barely broke a sweat in his UFC Middleweight debut, handing a talented prospect his first career loss in the process.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The Benefit Of Consistency
Fares Ziam and Mike Davis both joined the UFC roster in 2019 as prospects with just 12 and eight professional fights respectively.
Davis, aside from a short-notice debut loss up a weight class to Gilbert Burns, was immediately spectacular. The Tiger Muay Thai tryouts winner immediately showed off crisp kickboxing, dynamic athleticism, and excellent wrestling to boot. People were excited about his potential right away. On the other hand, Ziam was still green, debuting at 21 years of age. Despite some obvious technical ability, he lost two of his first four fights and didn’t inspire much hype.
Last night, Ziam sliced Davis open in a competitive but ultimately one-sided victory. Though both have skills in all areas, it felt like Ziam’s experience and comfort in the cage against tough opposition was the deciding factor. “Smile Killer” not only fought more times than Davis in their shared six years on the roster, but more importantly, he’s fought three times since Davis’ last appearance.
Subsequently, Ziam was immediately confident on the feet, firing stiff jabs and punishing combinations. Davis, conversely, was pulling guard? He looked desperate to wrestle despite his previous knockout wins. Even while showing off some slick grappling transitions, Davis looked uncomfortable.
The inactivity showed up in more ways than one. Midway through the second, for example, Davis put his hands on the canvas to avoid getting kneed in the face … only to get kneed in the face, because the rules have changed since Davis’ last bout! That knee turned the grappling match into a bloodbath, making Davis’ submission attempts even more challenging to secure.
Davis managed to sweep his way into top position a couple of times, but that’s no way to reliable win a UFC fight against a good opponent. Ziam spent far more time in dominant positions and did almost all of the damage (Davis landed a nice elbow in the final 30 seconds to cut his opponent as well).
Because of his consistency, “Smile Killer” moves forward in 2025 on a five-fight win streak, ready for ranked opposition. Meanwhile, Davis fights out his UFC contract with a loss, and his future is highly uncertain.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Additional Thoughts
- Shamil Gaziev defeats Thomas Peterson via first-round knockout (highlights): Gaziev was pushed into his main event bout versus Jairzinho Rozenstruik far too quickly, but that loss doesn’t mean he’s as bad as the average unranked Heavyweight. Really, this felt like a mismatch. Gaziev showed up leaner than usual, whereas Peterson looked too small for the division yet still in worse shape. Peterson wasn’t able to implement his wrestling against the larger man, and consequently, Gaziev was able to walk him down and continually line up his right hand. Sooner than later, a crisp right down the middle floored the Southpaw for good, making for a lovely walk-off KO.
- Terrance McKinney defeats Damir Hadzovic via first-round knockout (highlights): This was a predictable bounce-back match up if I’ve ever seen one. McKinney is fairly popular and wildly explosive but equally defensively flawed — a textbook kill-or-be-killed fighter. Against seasoned, durable opposition, he tends to fall apart by the second. Opposite fighters who cannot deny his early barrage, however, he’s a highlight reel machine. Hadzovic is a veteran, but one coming off a 2.5 year layoff who has never been particularly good on the canvas. As soon as this bout moved to the mat, McKinney was in absolute control and advanced towards the easy stoppage win.
- Bogdan Grad defeats Lucas Alexander via second-round knockout (highlights): Grad punched his ticket to a successful debut even after his opponent missed weight. The win didn’t come easily, however. Alexander was the sharper striker and was making good connections for most of round one and even early in the second, but the script flipped immediately when Grad was able to drag his foe to the floor. Grad overwhelmed him there, landing a bevy of elbows to seal the deal. Currently, Grad looks to be more toughness and aggression than technical skill, but the Romanian nevertheless got the job done this time around.
For complete UFC Saudi Arabia results and play-by-play, click here.
