Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Saudi Arabia (2024)

Featuring a main event in the middleweight division that carries clear championship ramifications and backed by bangers across the board, Saturday’s debut at Kingdom Arena promises to be an action-packed affair.

Here’s a closer look at the matchups that make up this weekend’s card.

Main Event: Robert Whittaker vs Ikram Aliskerov

Location: Kingdom Arena —Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Where to Watch: ABC/ESPN/ESPN+

Other Main Card Matches:

• Sergei Pavlovich vs Alexander Volkov
• Kelvin Gastelum vs Daniel Rodriguez
• Johnny Walker vs Volkan Oezdemir

Prelim Matches:

• Shara Magomedov vs Joilton Lutterbach
• Nasrat Haqparast vs Jared Gordon
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Nicolas Dalby
• Kyung Ho Kang vs Muin Gafarov
• Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs Brendson Ribeiro
• Sedriques Dumas vs Denis Tiuliulin
• Xiao Long vs Chang Ho Lee

Main Event Matchup: Robert Whittaker vs Ikram Aliskerov

Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov meet here in a matchup of Russian heavyweight finishers and occasional training partners.

Pavlovich competes for the first time since being pressed into action in an interim title bout against Tom Aspinall last November at Madison Square Garden. The setback snapped his six-fight run of first-round finishes but did little to diminish his standing in the heavyweight ranks, as he buzzed Aspinall in the very early moments of the bout and remains one of the most feared knockout threats in the division.

The 35-year-old Volkov has transformed since his own loss to the British standout in March 2022, delivering three straight stoppage victories to return to title contention. After using strikes to dispatch both Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexandr Romanov in the first round, Volkov showed off his submission game last time out, finishing Tai Tuivasa with an Ezekiel choke in the second round.

These two are quite familiar with each other, having spent time on the mats together over the years, so it will be interesting to see how the early moments of this one plays out. Will the compatriots be tentative and watching for setups they know, or will they come out swinging, looking to make a statement in Saudi Arabia?

Kelvin Gastelum vs Daniel Rodriguez

It’s a clash of welterweights looking to get back into the win column as Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez square off in the middle of the main card.

Gastelum returned to the 170-pound weight class last December after a prolonged rough patch at middleweight, falling to Sean Brady by submission in Austin. The last time the former Ultimate Fighter winner earned a victory in a welterweight contest was all the way back at UFC 180 when he submitted Jake Ellenberger to move to 10-0 in his career.

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This will be Rodriguez’ first appearance since losing to Ian Machado Garry last spring and serving a six-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance prior to his proposed bout against Santiago Ponzinibbio last September. The 37-year-old has been a perennial tough out since touching down in the UFC and will look to get back to the form that produced wins in seven of his first eight trips into the Octagon here.

Welterweight is one of those divisions where there are always hopefuls pushing forward, leaving stalwarts like these two constantly in a position to fend off ascending talents. Each certainly needs a victory to get things moving in the right direction again, but earning a win would also buy them some space from the pack of talents currently climbing the ranks, as well.

Johnny Walker vs Volkan Oezdemir

Highly regarded prospect Shara Magomedov welcomes Joilton Lutterbach to the UFC on Saturday.

“Shara Bullet” scored a unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva in his promotional debut last year at UFC 294, moving to 12-0 in the process. The 31-year-old Lutterbach arrives with an impressive 38-10 record and a diverse combat sports background, having competed in MMA, boxing, kickboxing, and karate events in the past 15 months.

Nasrat Haqparast vs Jared Gordon

Lightweights Nasrat Haqparast and Jared Gordon look to build off dominant efforts in their most recent outings as they share the Octagon here.

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Haqparast enters on a three-fight winning streak, having most recently collected a first-round knockout win over Jamie Mullarkey back in December. Gordon turned in the best performance of his career last November, dispatching Mark Madsen in the first round of their clash at Madison Square Garden.

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Nicolas Dalby

Rinat Fakhretdinov and Nicolas Dalby collide here in an outstanding welterweight pairing on this weekend’s preliminary card slate.

Fakhretdinov enters on a 20-fight unbeaten streak, having earned three wins and a draw through his first four UFC appearances, while Danish veteran Dalby touches down on a four-fight winning streak, most recently having stopped Brazilian prospect Gabriel Bonfim. This should be a thrilling battle between two durable, dangerous talents looking to take another step forward in the welterweight chase.

Kyung Ho Kang vs Muin Gafurov

Bantamweights aiming to start their 2024 campaigns with a win meet in this one as Kyung Ho Kang and Muin Gafurov share the Octagon in Saudi Arabia.

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After collecting a second straight win by submitting Cristian Quinonez in his first appearance last year, Kang landed on the wrong side of the scorecards in his bout with John Castaneda at UFC 295 in November. Gafurov lost his short-notice debut to Castaneda last June, then followed it up with a 73-second submission loss to Said Nurmagomedov at UFC 294 in October to find himself stuck in a two-fight slide heading into this one.

Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs Brendson Ribeiro

Russian light heavyweight Magomed Gadhziyasulov makes his promotional debut on Saturday, stepping in with recent DWCS grad Brendan Ribeiro.

Unbeaten in eight pro bouts, the 30-year-old Gadzhiyasulov, who trains in Bahrain, has earned five first-round stoppage wins on his way to his first UFC appearance. Ribeiro scored an impressive first-round finish to earn his UFC contract last fall, but then landed on the opposite side of a similar result in his maiden voyage into the Octagon earlier this year against Zhang Mingyang.

Sedriques Dumas vs Denis Tiuliulin

Sedriques Dumas steps in on short notice to face off with Denis Tiuliulin this weekend at Kingdom Arena.

A member of the DWCS Class of ’22, Dumas jumps in for Abu Azaitar, the last man he defeated, hoping to bounce back following a controversial first-round stoppage loss to Nursulton Ruziboev earlier this year. The 36-year-old Tiuliulin touches down in Saudi Arabia angling to end a three-fight skid and collect his second UFC victory.

Xiao Long vs ChangHo Lee

The bantamweight finale from Road to UFC Season 2 kicks things off this weekend, with Xiao Long and ChangHo Lee doing battle for a place on the UFC roster.

China’s Xiao advanced by the narrowest of margins in each of his first two bouts, winning a split decision and majority decision to advance to reach this weekend’s finale. By contrast, Lee kept the judges out of the mix, earning stoppage wins over Rana Singh and Daermisi Zhawupasi to punch his ticket to the final pairing.