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The UFC visited Saudi Arabia last night for a major Fight Night event. The fans in Riyadh were treated to a huge upset in the headliner.
UFC Fight Night: Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov not only saw a shock win for the latter, but some other huge performances, too.
What's next for these fighters? That's up to the matchmakers, and some of them have some very interesting options.
Here are five fights to make following UFC Fight Night: Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov.
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#5. UFC bantamweight bout: Vinicius Oliveira vs. Marcus McGhee
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In one of the better fights on offer in Riyadh, bantamweight prospect Vinicius Oliveira extended his unbeaten run in the UFC to three fights by outpointing Said Nurmagomedov.
'LokDog' basically pushed a pace that was too hard for Nurmagomedov to keep up with, eventually wilting him in the later rounds to take a clear-cut decision. He even landed a couple of takedowns on the Dagestani.
Oliveira is clearly ready for a top fifteen opponent at 135 pounds, and one who could fit the bill is Marcus McGhee.
'The Maniac' moved into the rankings in November with a win over Jonathan Martinez, extending his UFC record to 4-0 in the process.
McGhee is not the most technically sound fighter, but he's very tough, throws heavy strikes, and, most importantly, hasn't shown a tendency to slow down yet.
That means that he could be a real test for 'LokDog', who has thus far been able to drag his opponents into deep water and drown them.
With McGhee currently sitting at No.14, then, this would be a big opportunity for Oliveira. It'd also be a chance for 'The Maniac' to stop a speeding hype train from increasing any further. Basically, it would be smart matchmaking from every angle.
#4. UFC heavyweight bout: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Shamil Gaziev
Big heavyweights Sergei Pavlovich and Shamil Gaziev both won in Riyadh last night, but their performances couldn't have been much further apart.
Pavlovich outpointed Jairzinho Rozenstruik, but it was a tepid fight that saw boos rain down on the octagon on multiple occasions.
Despite the win snapping a two-fight losing streak, it also suggested more and more that Pavlovich's days as a wrecking machine are over.
Gaziev, on the other hand, scored a huge walk-off KO of Thomas Petersen. Sure, Petersen is a much lower-level foe than Rozenstruik, who actually beat Gaziev a year ago.
Despite this, it was still hard not to be impressed by the native of Bahrain. A fighter can only beat who is in front of him, and this was a thunderous knockout.
With that considered, it could be an idea to match Pavlovich against Gaziev. The latter needs a step up, while the former could do with a step down and has already fought most of the other top heavyweights in the promotion.
The hope would be that Pavlovich - the more naturally talented fighter - would rediscover his mojo, or he'd be knocked out in the process.
Sure, there'd be a chance that Pavlovich might simply grind out another win as he did last night, but it'd probably be a risk worth taking.
#3. UFC welterweight bout: Michael 'Venom' Page vs. Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson
In a rare outing at 185 pounds, Michael 'Venom' Page surprised fans by picking apart Sharaputdin Magomedov last night.
Sure, it wasn't the most exciting fight, as Page played it safe and smart and simply shut 'Shara Bullet' down, but at the end of the day, he still handed a highly-touted fighter his first defeat.
So what's next for the former Bellator star? Despite his win last night, it'd be advisable for him to drop back down to 170 pounds. It'd also be advisable for 'MVP' to continue to chase what fans would consider 'dream fights', rather than look to climb into title contention.
With that in mind, a bout with Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson might be best. Thompson is past his prime now and hasn't won since December 2022, but he's still ranked above Page, being No.11 right now.
More to the point, based on what he did in that win over Kevin Holland, he's still capable of picking an opponent off if they fight his kind of fight - something Page almost certainly would do.
Overall, this would be a fascinating bout between two incredibly technical strikers, and while there'd be a chance it could turn out to be dull, it'd still be worth booking.
#2. UFC light-heavyweight bout: Israel Adesanya vs. Jamahal Hill
After suffering a stunning and disappointing loss to Nassourdine Imavov last night, Israel Adesanya stands at a crossroads of sorts.
The 35-year-old former middleweight champion has nothing left to prove. He'll probably be considered by most to be, at worst, the second-best 185-pound fighter in UFC history. He could easily ride off into the sunset right now.
However, he was also arguably beating Imavov before he made the error of wanting to continue too quickly after an eye poke and paid a heavy price for that decision.
Whether he's truly shot, then, is very debatable.
What is true is that Adesanya probably has little left to do at middleweight. If he continues there, the best he could hope for is to evolve into a very high-level gatekeeper.
A smarter move could be to shift weight classes and go to 205 pounds, then. It's true he failed in his quest to become light-heavyweight champ in 2021, losing to Jan Blachowicz, but a second try could prove more fruitful.
If Adesanya were to move up, then, the UFC could do worse than to match him with another former champ on a losing streak in the form of Jamahal Hill.
'Sweet Dreams' would offer 'The Last Stylebender' a fascinating challenge from a striking standpoint and would be just as hungry to prove that he's not a shot fighter, too.
Given both men are solid trash talkers, too, this could easily turn into a pretty major rivalry if it were to be put together. It probably shouldn't happen until late 2025, but this fight could well make a lot of sense.
#1. UFC middleweight bout: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Dricus du Plessis or Sean Strickland
It's safe to say that Nassourdine Imavov's knockout win over Israel Adesanya in Riyadh was a huge one.
Not only did 'The Sniper' knock out the former middleweight champ, but he did so in the headliner of a major event. No longer will he fly under the radar with UFC fans.
Realistically, a win like this should've been enough to net Imavov a title shot. However, Khamzat Chimaev remains ahead of him in the queue, and before that, champ Dricus du Plessis will defend against Sean Strickland.
With that title bout set to take place next weekend, though, Imavov could easily be positioned to fight the loser, with Chimaev taking on the winner for the title.
A smart move, in fact, could be to put both fights on the same card, meaning there'd be plenty of options should something happen to one of the headliners.
How would Imavov fare against 'Stillknocks' or 'Tarzan'? He'd be an underdog against both, but based on what he did to Adesanya, it'd be impossible to count him out.
Either way, Imavov has to be considered one of the world's top four middleweights now, and to see all four on the same card would be monumental. Put simply, the UFC has to do it.
