Israel Adesanya reportedly to face Shara Magomedov in UFC Saudi Arabia main event
Israel Adesanya is reportedly set to return against Shara "Bullet" Magomedov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on December 5, according to Ariel Helwani. The UFC has not officially announced the bout or confirmed the date, so for now it is a report and not a confirmed fight.
What was reported
Helwani said on The Ariel Helwani Show that Adesanya is expected to face Magomedov in the headliner, and that the UFC is targeting a five-round fight. The news was picked up on October 15 by outlets including Yahoo Sports, BJPenn.com, MMA Mania and Bloody Elbow, which describe the bout as reported or targeted. According to those outlets, the full card is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
The date had been a point of discussion. Reporter Kevin K had earlier suggested that Adesanya would headline an event on November 28, but Helwani's report points to December 5.
Where Adesanya stands
Our data lists Adesanya at 24-6, ranked number 9 in the UFC middleweight division as of October 13. He has lost four straight fights: the title bout against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, the title fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in August 2024 (submission, round four), a second-round TKO against Nassourdine Imavov in February 2025, and a second-round TKO against Joe Pyfer on March 28, 2026.
Yahoo Sports reports that Adesanya has left his longtime coach Eugene Bareman and City Kickboxing and now trains with Alexander Volkanovski and Mauricio Ruffy. Sixteen of his 24 wins have come by knockout or TKO, and the other eight by decision.
The opponent
Magomedov is 17-1, according to BJPenn.com. He beat Michel Pereira at UFC Baku in June, his second straight win after a victory over Marc-Andre Barriault. His only loss came against Michael Page. Yahoo Sports reports that Magomedov called out Adesanya after the Pereira fight, and that this would be his first UFC main event.
What comes next
Our database already shows the matchup as Adesanya's next bout, on December 5, at middleweight and not for a title. Until the UFC makes an announcement, the fight, the date and the five-round format remain subject to change. The promotion is expected to fill out the rest of the Saudi Arabia card in the coming weeks.
Sources
In this story
This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.