The UFC has booked Israel Adesanya against Shara Magomedov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, one of two five-round bouts announced during Saturday's UFC Vegas 124 card. The event is set for Dec. 5 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
The matchup gives Adesanya, a former two-time champion, a fast route back into the spotlight after a four-fight losing streak that has followed his loss of the middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023. He has not tasted victory since then, and he has not seen the judges' scorecards since being stopped by Dricus du Plessis, Nassourdine Imavov, and Joe Pyfer.
That is why this booking stands out now. Five-round fights are reserved for the bouts the UFC wants to matter most on a card, which means Adesanya's name is being used to anchor the night even as he tries to halt a slump that has changed the way his run is viewed. Magomedov brings his own case to the main event at 6-1 inside the octagon, with two straight wins over Michel Pereira and Marc-Andre Barriault and his lone UFC loss coming against Michael Page by lopsided decision at UFC Saudi Arabia in February 2025.
The co-main event carries the same five-round label and adds another name with recent baggage, as Ian Machado Garry is set to return to the octagon for the first time since losing to Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 in August. He will face Yaroslav Amosov, giving UFC Saudi Arabia two bouts at the top of the card that are built to carry the show from start to finish.
The rest of the card includes Serghei Spivac against Mario Pinto in a heavyweight bout, Levan Chokheli against Islam Dulatov in a welterweight contest, Mairon Santos against Akbar Abdullaev in a lightweight bout, and Ion Cutelaba against Magomed Tuchalov in a 205-pound matchup. For Adesanya, the next test is simple: on Dec. 5 in Riyadh, he gets the kind of main event that can either restart his climb or leave the losing streak as the defining fact of his recent run.
