5 questions that could be answered at UFC Fight Night: Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Next weekend, the UFC heads to Saudi Arabia for what looks like an excellent Fight Night event. With plenty of strong fights on tap, this looks like a show to watch.

UFC Fight Night: Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov features plenty of intriguing bouts, and naturally, some questions will be thrown up by them.

So will some of these questions be answered next weekend? With any luck, we'll have clarity on the future of a number of fighters.

Here are five questions that could be answered at UFC Fight Night: Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov.

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#5. Will Said Nurmagomedov pull off another signature choke win?

While he hasn't enjoyed the same success as namesakes Khabib and Umar in the UFC, Said Nurmagomedov is still a very good fighter in his own right.

The bantamweight contender is a strong 7-2 in the octagon and will face off with hot prospect Vinicius Oliveira in Riyadh.

'Lok Dog' is already 2-0 in the UFC and many fans are favoring him to win this bout. However, Nurmagomedov is far more experienced and may have an ace up his sleeve in the form of his deadly chokes.

Essentially, if a fighter leaves their neck open for Nurmagomedov to grab, the bout is likely over. It doesn't matter whether it's a straight guillotine choke or a variant like the ninja choke, the Dagestani is absolutely lethal once he's got hold of his foe.

It took him just 47 seconds to dispatch tough veteran Cody Stamann, for instance, and he remains the only fighter to submit both Muin Gafarov and Saidyokub Kakhramanov. All three fighters were choked out from that front headlock spot.

Oliveira may well be able to shut Nurmagomedov's wrestling down and look to pick him off standing. However, one mistake could lead to that lethal choke position - and if Nurmagomedov can catch his neck, this fight might be over.

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#4. Can Sergei Pavlovich regain the fear factor he once had?

In the world of the UFC, time moves very quickly, and few fighters would understand that quite as clearly as Sergei Pavlovich right now.

As recently as October 2023, the big Russian was probably the most feared fighter in the entire heavyweight division. Using his brick-like hands to destroy anything he hit, he knocked out the likes of Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis to climb into title contention.

However, Pavlovich suffered a bad knockout defeat to Tom Aspinall in their interim heavyweight title bout, and the loss was enough to evaporate his fear factor entirely.

The Russian's defeat to Alexander Volkov last summer essentially came from the fact that unlike nearly all of his pre-Aspinall foes, 'Drago' simply wasn't afraid to stand and exchange punches.

So can Pavlovich regain that fear factor? It has been done before. Francis Ngannou's hype train was derailed by his losses to Stipe Miocic and Lewis, but he regained all of his momentum with a series of vicious knockouts.

Interestingly, one of Ngannou's knockouts in that run came over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, the man who is set to face Pavlovich next weekend.

If the big Russian can blitz 'Bigi Boy' in the same way that Ngannou did, his aura will begin to recover. If he fails, though, it's unlikely that he'll ever get his momentum - or his fear factor - back.

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#3. Will Michael Page's gamble in moving to 185 pounds pay off?

The most curious bout on offer in Riyadh next weekend is the co-headliner. This clash will see former Bellator star Michael 'Venom' Page face off with Sharaputdin Magomedov in a battle of master strikers.

Interestingly, the fight will also mark the first foray into the middleweight division for Page since a one-bout stint in 2013.

Given that 'MVP' is hardly a huge welterweight, the decision to move up to 185 pounds is a curious one for the British striker.

Page only arrived in the UFC last year, and defeated Kevin Holland in his debut before falling to Ian Machado Garry in a tight decision. While he's 37 years old, he is currently ranked at No.15 at 170 pounds, and could easily make a mark in the title picture there yet.

So why is he choosing to move up in weight to face 'Shara Bullet', a prospect widely considered one of the most lethal strikers in the division?

Essentially, only 'MVP' knows for sure. In many ways, this feels like one of those quasi-superfights like Anthony Pettis vs. Stephen Thompson or Alexander Gustafsson vs. Fabricio Werdum - fun-sounding bouts that didn't mean a lot in the bigger picture.

The difference with those fights was that the athletes involved had already peaked in the promotion. The same can't be said for Magomedov or Page, and while 'Shara Bullet' is young enough to recover from a loss, the same can't really be said for 'MVP'.

In essence, this is one huge gamble for him. A win over 'Shara Bullet' would not only propel him to further stardom, but he could also return to 170 pounds with a big fight.

A loss, though, would arguably derail his entire tenure with the promotion, particularly if he's knocked out. Which way his career goes, then, we'll only find out next weekend.

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#2. Is Nassourdine Imavov really ready for a step up this time around?

Next weekend's headliner will see Nassourdine Imavov step up for the biggest fight of his career. Not only will he be in the main event of a major event in Riyadh, but he'll also be up against one of the UFC's biggest stars - former middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya.

The big question around 'The Sniper', then, is whether he's ready for this kind of opportunity this time around. After all, it won't be the adopted Frenchman's first headliner.

Imavov defeated former title challenger Jared Cannonier last year in the main event of the UFC's visit to Louisville. However, the finish was somewhat controversial, featuring a stoppage many fans saw as premature.

Prior to that, though, he looked out of his depth in a five-round fight with Sean Strickland, who confidently picked him apart in a clear-cut win.

Since then, it's fair to say that Imavov has improved, but on paper at least, the best version of Adesanya would be favored to beat him.

However, that version of 'The Last Stylebender' may now be gone, giving 'The Sniper' a chance of picking up his biggest-ever win.

If he can pull it off, then the middleweight division will have a fresh new contender. The pressure will be on Imavov like never before, however, and whether he can handle that kind of pressure is a major question.

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#1. Does Israel Adesanya still have what it takes to get to the top of the UFC?

The biggest question around next weekend's UFC event in Riyadh centers around former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. To say 'The Last Stylebender' finds himself at the crossroads would be an understatement.

When Adesanya defeated Alex Pereira to regain his 185-pound title in April 2023, he appeared to be on his way to becoming the UFC's biggest star.

Since then, though, he's lost his title to Sean Strickland in a jaded performance and then failed to regain it in a grudge match with new champ Dricus du Plessis last year.

While there were flashes of Adesanya at his best in the latter fight, it's safe to say that right now, he's lacking the swagger he once had.

So does 'The Last Stylebender' have what it takes to climb back to the top of the UFC for a third time, or is he really on his way down the ladder?

This fight with Nassourdine Imavov should tell us a lot about his future. Not only is 'The Sniper' the lowest-ranked foe he's fought in years, the bout will also be his first non-title one since 2019.

Imavov is still very dangerous, of course, but if Adesanya is at his best, 'The Sniper' is the kind of foe he should really pick apart.

Basically, we'll find out exactly what Adesanya has left in the tank next weekend, and nothing but a really impressive win will do.