Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation, in partnership with the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), returns to Riyadh for another showstopping night of non-stop action with a middleweight main event between Israel Adesanya and Shara Magomedov. Taking place on Saturday, December 5 at The Venue, Riyadh, the co-main event sees No. 1 welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry take on Yaroslav Amosov.
Former two-time middleweight champion Adesanya (24-6-0, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) is one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history, with 16 of his 24 career wins coming by knockout. The fan favourite returns to the Octagon in Riyadh, where he headlined UFC’s February 2025 event, aiming for a statement performance against one of the division’s most feared strikers.
Magomedov (17-1-0, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) enters the main event on consecutive victories over Michel Pereira and Marc-André Barriault. The only defeat of his career came in Riyadh in February 2025, and with 12 of his 17 wins by knockout, “Shara Bullet” returns to the same city determined to earn the biggest win of his career.
Machado Garry (17-2-0, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland, by way of Belo Horizonte, Brazil) returns to the Octagon after challenging Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title at UFC 330 in August. The No. 1-ranked contender is no stranger to the region, having defeated Belal Muhammad in Doha last November, and now looks to put himself straight back into title contention.
No. 12-ranked contender Amosov (30-1-0, fighting out of Kiev, Ukraine) has won both of his UFC appearances by submission, defeating veterans Neil Magny and Joel Alvarez. With just one loss in 31 professional bouts, the former Bellator welterweight champion now faces one of his biggest challenges.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- No. 10-ranked heavyweight contender Serghei ‘Polar Bear’ Spivac (18-7-0, fighting out of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) welcomes undefeated contender Mario Pinto (13-0-0, fighting out of London, England) in a heavyweight clash
- Levan Chokheli (15-3-0, 1 NC, fighting out of Tbilisi, Georgia) takes on Islam ‘The Ripper’ Dulatov (12-1-0, fighting out of Istanbul, Turkey) in a welterweight contest
- Mairon Santos (17-1-0, fighting out of Duque De Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) meets newcomer Akbar Abdullaev (14-0-0, fighting out of Osh, Kyrgyzstan) in a battle of standout lightweight prospects
- Undefeated Magomed ‘Tiger’ Tuchalov (7-0-0, fighting out of Dubai, UAE by way of Dagestan, Russia) goes head-to-head with Ion ‘The Hulk’ Cutelaba (20-12-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) in an all-action light heavyweight bout
- Bruno Silva (15-9-2, 1 NC, fighting out of Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil) faces Jafel Filho (17-5-0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in a flyweight matchup
- Uran Satybaldiev (10-1-0, fighting out of Osh City, Kyrgyzstan) takes on debuting Russian Ivan Gnizditskiy (7-0-0, fighting out of Belgorod, Russia) in a light heavyweight contest
- Marco Tulio (14-3-0, fighting out of São Paulo, Brazil) meets Jun Yong Park (19-7-0, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) in a middleweight bout
- After an impressive short-notice debut up a division, Pavel Andrusca (9-0-0, fighting out of Chisinau, Moldova) returns to bantamweight and squares off against Ultimate Fighter finalist Mahammadali Osmanli (12-2-0, fighting out of Baku, Azerbaijan)
- Modestino Rodrigues (8-1-0, fighting out of Fonte Boa, Amazonas, Brazil) and Matthieu Duclos (11-3-0, fighting out of Arras, France) collide at middleweight
- Abdul Hussein (16-2-0, fighting out of Espoo, Finland by way of Palestine) meets Hecher Sosa (15-1-0, fighting out of Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain) in a bantamweight contest
