The UFC event in the Middle East that was supposed to bring Israel Adesanya back to the Octagon is now highly likely to be canceled, according to a report Bloody Elbow shared on X on Saturday, October 17. That’s a rough turnaround. Two days earlier, on October 15, Ariel Helwani reported that Adesanya would headline UFC Saudi Arabia on December 5 against Shara Magomedov, the middleweight known as Shara Bullet. Championship Rounds and Spinnin Backfist both passed along Helwani’s report within minutes of each other.
The Bloody Elbow post describes the card as Adesanya’s return event in the Middle East, which lines up with the Saudi Arabia date Helwani reported. Nothing in the coverage so far explains why the event is in trouble, whether the Adesanya vs. Magomedov fight could be moved to another card, or when a final call will be made. Until the UFC says something on the record, treat this as a report and nothing firmer. Nobody has officially pulled the plug.
Where Adesanya stands
The former middleweight champion’s last trip to the Octagon went badly. Joe Pyfer knocked Adesanya out in the main event of UFC Seattle in February, and Pyfer has kept rolling since then. He’s on a four-fight win streak and was booked against Bo Nickal for UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas. Nickal said on stage at a Vivek Ramaswamy rally in Ohio this week that the fight has been moved to February, where it will headline a UFC event in Cleveland. No exact date for that card has been announced.
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Adesanya’s résumé still carries plenty of weight. His rivalry with Alex Pereira followed both men from kickboxing into the UFC. Pereira took the middleweight title from Adesanya in November 2022, and Adesanya won it back in their rematch six months later. That history is a big part of why a Magomedov booking drew attention so fast. Lindy’s Sports ran a piece calling the pairing “A+ matchmaking by the UFC.”
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The December calendar is crowded around the Saudi date. UFC 335 on December 12 still has Pereira facing Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main event at heavyweight, and UFC 334 has Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit fighting for the undisputed heavyweight title. If the December 5 card collapses, Adesanya’s fight doesn’t have an obvious landing spot on a numbered event without someone reshuffling.
Quick take
I liked this booking. A veteran coming off a knockout loss needs an opponent who will stand in front of him and test whether the reads are still there. A ranked wrestler who could drag him into a 15-minute grind wouldn’t answer that question at all, and neither would a cherry-picked comeback fight. Magomedov is a striker’s opponent for a striker’s question. Losing the venue shouldn’t mean losing the matchup. The fight was booked in about two days of reporting, and the UFC can move it in less if it wants to. Watch for an official word on December 5 from the promotion before you write off the fight.
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