GDT: UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov

[MMC]

Date: February 1, 2025
Venue: anb Arena
City: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Time: 12 pm ET/9 am PT
Viewing: ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass

MAIN CARD (ESPN+)

Middleweight bout: Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov
Middleweight bout: Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page
Heavyweight bout: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Bantamweight bout: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira
Featherweight bout: Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass)

Heavyweight bout: Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen
Lightweight bout: Terrance McKinney vs. Damir Hadzovic
Lightweight bout: Fares Ziam vs. Mike Davis
Women's Flyweight bout: Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
Featherweight bout: Bogdan Grad vs. Lucas Alexander
Heavyweight bout: Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues​

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[I am not exposed]

This on paper is a brilliant fight night. Better than the next PPV actually!

 

[MMC]

First non-title fight for Izzy in 6 years

 

[MMC]

 

[MMC]

Might end up regretting this but I don't like Izzy here. Not confident in this version of him at all and I'm not sure he'll be motivated enough to win this one

 

[pistolpete11]

First non-title fight for Izzy in 6 years

A part of me thought Izzy would retire before ever taking a non-title fight.

People won't like it, but he probably gets a title shot if he wins this fight. Whether it's the winner of DDP/Strickland or he has to wait for Chimaev to get a shot.

 

[bov]

He was pulling ahead of DDP and prior to the finishing sequence, was on his way to being up 3-1. For the better part of 3 rounds and change, Izzy was looking pretty damn good.

This fight is tough to call, Imavov is trending upwards and still relatively young but he's not much of a finisher. He rarely goes out and dominates anybody. There might be an avenue for him on the ground but I don't see him outpointing Adesanya on the feet for 5 rounds. Has to be a bit aggressive and mix it up to win imo. I'm still undecided on my pick.

 

[MMC]

He was pulling ahead of DDP and prior to the finishing sequence, was on his way to being up 3-1. For the better part of 3 rounds and change, Izzy was looking pretty damn good.

This fight is tough to call, Imavov is trending upwards and still relatively young but he's not much of a finisher. He rarely goes out and dominates anybody. There might be an avenue for him on the ground but I don't see him outpointing Adesanya on the feet for 5 rounds. Has to be a bit aggressive and mix it up to win imo. I'm still undecided on my pick.

DDP was up 2-1 on 2 scorecards

 

[bov]

DDP was up 2-1 on 2 scorecards

That's pretty bad and I didn't realize it was the case, but point still stands on Izzy's performance. He looked like he was in good form until the 4th.

 

[MMC]

A part of me thought Izzy would retire before ever taking a non-title fight.

People won't like it, but he probably gets a title shot if he wins this fight. Whether it's the winner of DDP/Strickland or he has to wait for Chimaev to get a shot.

Definitely a very high stakes fight for him which is why I'm very excited for this one, he might be done if he loses, at least at MW, but if he wins the UFC will definitely put him right back in the title picture

 

[thadd]

Definitely a very high stakes fight for him which is why I'm very excited for this one, he might be done if he loses, at least at MW, but if he wins the UFC will definitely put him right back in the title picture

If he's not fighting at middleweight, what are his options?

I can't imagine him making weight at welterweight and if he wants to go up to light heavyweight I think that's quite the drastic physical transformation for him.

He needs to put more weight on to be a factor in the light heavyweight division in my opinion.

 

[Taytro]

I'm prepared to be wrong but I really don't think Imavov is at Izzy's level striking. Izzy looked atrocious vs Strickland but outside of that I feel like he's miles ahead of the whole division now that Alex moved up.

I feel similarly about Page vs Sharabullet. I haven't been impressed by Shara like everyone else and Page has continued to impress me.

Both these feel like tests for the younger less proven guy to either prove he deserve the ranking or to boost the older guy back to relevance.

 

[I am not exposed]

I'm prepared to be wrong but I really don't think Imavov is at Izzy's level striking. Izzy looked atrocious vs Strickland but outside of that I feel like he's miles ahead of the whole division now that Alex moved up.

I feel similarly about Page vs Sharabullet. I haven't been impressed by Shara like everyone else and Page has continued to impress me.

Both these feel like tests for the younger less proven guy to either prove he deserve the ranking or to boost the older guy back to relevance.

I think Page makes Sharabullet looks slow and silly in the striking battle. Like he did with Holland. So Sharabullet will have to take him down, which is what fighters quickly realise when fighting Page. I mean even Holland tried to start doing that and this is the same fighter that clipped Wonderboy and didn't follow him to the ground and waited for him to stand up!