The UFC returned to Riyadh for their second ever card in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Last time in Saudi Arabia, Robert Whittaker was able to turn back the clock and fend off a young and hungry rising contender in Ikram Aliskerov. This time, it was Israel Adesanya who had a similar task on his hands, though he wasn’t able to overcome his opponent. Let’s take a look at what should be next for the winners on a UFC Saudi Arabia card that had a couple standout performances.
Nassourdine Imavov
Imavov earned by far the biggest win of his career, stopping the former champion Adesanya early into round two. The Frenchman came into the UFC at a young age, but now 28 and having won four consecutive fights against top 10 opposition, he seems to finally be coming into his own. A win of this magnitude would guarantee a title shot just about every time, but the landscape at 185 will probably force Imavov to earn another win before fighting for the belt.
We can pretty much assume that Khamzat Chimaev will draw the winner of the Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland rematch going down this upcoming weekend. If Chimaev can fight in the U.S., then that fight could take place during the summer. If not, then he will most likely have to wait until October again when the UFC goes back to Abu Dhabi. Either way, with Chimaev calling dibs on the next middleweight title shot, Imavov won’t be able to simply sit this one out until he’s next. Maybe his next fight can be on the same card as Chimaev’s title shot and he can serve as an unofficial backup in case someone pulls out.
Robert Whittaker and Anthony Hernandez, should he beat Brendan Allen later this month, are fine options, but the best number 1 contender matchup available for Imavov is Caio Borralho. The Brazilian is undefeated in the UFC, having won all six of his fights and has not lost since his second ever professional fight back in 2015. He’s also the poster boy for Fighting Nerds, a gym with a lot of momentum behind them. It’s the right matchup.
Imavov’s next fight: Caio Borralho
Michael Page
The man they call MVP went up in weight for fun one-off fight against undefeated prospect Shara “Bullet” Magomedov. Undefeated no more is Magomedov after he became victim number 23 on Page’s record. This was a good showing by MVP who needed to bounce back after losing to Ian Machado Garry back in June. He will turn 38 in April, so if he’s going to muster any form of title run, it needed to start on Saturday.
At the post-fight conference, Dana White expressed interest in maybe booking Page against Leon Edwards in England at some point. But for the time being, Edwards is booked in late March against Jack Della Maddalena, so that idea will have to wait. In the meantime, MVP should be calling for Colby Covington. Despite his last couple poor showings, Covington is still a big name ranked inside the top10. A win over him would allow Page to crack the top10 and then maybe set up that Leon Edwards fight that could springboard him to the title.
Time is of the essence for MVP so he needs to target fights that will garner a lot of attention if he’s going to fast track himself to the belt. And Colby Covington can provide that.
Page’s next fight: Colby Covington
Sergei Pavlovich
It wasn’t too long ago that Pavlovich was seen as the next big thing at heavyweight with six consecutive first-round KO wins over names like Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa and Curtis Blaydes. However, after losing his last two fights, the Russian badly needed a win against perennial ranked contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik. It wasn’t the most impressive performance nor the most exciting fight, but Pavlovich ultimately got the job done.
Getting his hand raised was the priority and he accomplished that, but the nature of the win won’t do him any favours if he was aiming to get back into the promotion’s good graces. I don’t think he will get a number 1 contender fight after this, nor should he.
There is a fight going down in London next month between Marcin Tybura and undefeated prospect Mick Parkin. Pavlovich can fight the winner of that bout.
Pavlovich’s next fight: Tybura/Parkin winner
Vinicius Oliveira
Fans have been wondering for years who would win between Nurmagomedov and Oliveira and we finally got our answer! All kidding aside, this was a solid win for Lok Dog who managed to defeat a high-level opponent despite a rib injury.
There is a cluster of rising contenders on win streaks at bantamweight. Names like Aiemann Zahabi, Marcus McGhee, Montel Jackson, Daniel Marcos, Farid Basharat are all at the tail-end of the rankings or outside of them completely. With this win, Oliveira put himself in that tier of fighters. You can match them up any which way and get a good fight out of it. I ultimately went with Marcus McGhee.
Oliveira’s next fight: Marcus McGhee
Fares Ziam
Not unlike the bantamweight division, lightweight also has a cluster of streaking contenders who are all worthy of fighting ranked opposition. Two of the names in that cluster of fighters were Fares Ziam and Mike Davis. Only one of their four-fight win streaks would be able to get to five, and it was Ziam’s.
Just like his fellow Frenchman Imavov, Ziam came into the UFC at a very young age and after a couple of early stumbles, he now appears to be putting it all together just as he’s about to turn 28. Now riding the third longest win streak in the division, Ziam’s case for a ranked opponent should be undeniable. Jalin Turner, who has lost two of his last three, should have to defend his #13 ranking if he is to stay at 155.
Ziam’s next fight: Jalin Turner
