Israel Adesanya headlines UFC Saudi Arabia vs. Nassourdine Imavov

UFC star Israel Adesanya finds himself he hasn't been in for almost six years.

On Feb. 1, Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) will compete in his first non-title bout since February 2019 when he headlines a UFC Fight Night card vs. Nassourdine Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC). The card takes place at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the headline on Saturday. The bout was first reported by Knockout Alerts.

Adesanya, 35, aims to snap the first multi-loss skid of his MMA career. After his upset unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland in September 2023. He then challenged rival Dricus Du Plessis for gold in August and was submitted in Round 4.

Imavov, 28, has slowly but surely climbed the middleweight ladder since his debut in October 2020. He rides a three-fight winning streak into the most high-profile fight of his career. That streak is comprised of victories over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, and Brendan Allen.

With the addition, the UFC Saudi Arabia lineup includes:

• Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov

• Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page

• Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz

• Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

• Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues

• Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva

• Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Saudi Arabia.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Israel Adesanya headlines UFC Saudi Arabia vs. Nassourdine Imavov