The UFC Fight Night card from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday features some strong fighters in big spots. But no spot is bigger than the main event between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov in the middleweight division. Adesanya enters that fight as a -170 favorite, with Imavov sitting at +142 on the other side of this fight with big implications on both sides.
Here, we break down the Israel Adesanya vs Nassourdine Imavov matchup from Riyadh. In addition to the keys to this fight for both men, you can continue reading to get our best bet for the bout. With our experience betting into UFC markets, you can trust that this bet has a great shot to cash on Saturday night.
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This fight will take place at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya has dropped three of his last four fights going into this Fight Night main event with Nassourdine Imavov. In fairness to Adesanya, those three losses came against Alex Pereira, Sean Strickland, and Dricus Du Plessis in championship bouts. Here, Adesanya is taking part in his first non-title fight since February of 2019, as he looks to prove that he is still worthy of being in the championship discussion.
For Adesayna, the question going into this fight is whether or not his quickness is still enough to make him the superior striker in this fight. Both men are at their best on their feet in this contest, but we aren’t sure how Adesanya stacks up to competition outside of the immediate middleweight title picture given how long it’s been since he’s faced someone on this level. If Adesanya still has the quickness edge in the striking here, he will be tough for Imavov to beat.
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Nassourdine Imavov
Going into the main event of this UFC Fight Night card, Nassourdine Imavov has high hopes for his immediate future. If he wins this fight, Imavov has said that he wants to move ahead of Khamzat Chimaev for a middleweight title shot. But Imavov will need to win this fight before any debate of his championship merits can begin.
If Imavov wants to win this fight over the former middleweight champ, his striking is going to need the best it has ever been. Imavov’s best career win might be Jared Cannonier, which is not all that impressive compared to the wins that Adesanya has stacked up in his career. This fight represents a huge step up in level of competition for the French fighter and he will need to prove that he belongs from the very start of this bout if he wants to become a title contender anytime soon.
Israel Adesanya vs Nassourdine Imavov Prediction
Our pick for Israel Adesanya vs Nassourdine Imavov is for Adesanya to come away with a win as a favorite. While Adesanya might not be in his prime at this juncture, anything close to his best is still better than anything we have seen from Imavov. Look for The Last Stylebender to get a win that he hopes will propel him back up the middleweight rankings as he hopes to one day hold the title in this division again.
