Preview: UFC Saudi Arabia ‘Adesanya vs. Imavov’

Featherweights

Muhammadjon Naimov (11-3, 3-1 UFC) vs. Kaan Ofli (11-3-1, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Naimov (-298), Ofli (+240)

Naimov looks to rebound in this assignment. Naimov was part of a banner 2023 campaign for Tajikistan’s mixed martial arts scene. A late-notice signing, “Hillman” put together upset wins of Jamie Mullarkey and Nathaniel Wood to end the year as a surprise potential contender at featherweight. Naimov’s game is ugly in the best possible way. Large for the division, he uses his size to either overwhelm his opponents with a grimy wrestling game or simply swing for the fences in the hopes of landing a hard counter. Naimov kicked off 2024 well enough with an expected win over Erik Silva, but his last trip to the Octagon resulted in an upset loss to late-notice opponent Felipe Lima—a natural bantamweight who was able to stay aggressive and surprisingly find a late submission as things seemed to be turning his counterpart’s way. It’s a damaging loss in the short term, but the UFC appears to have set Naimov up well for a rebound against Australia’s Ofli.

A featherweight finalist on the most recent season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Ofli looked like a solid enough prospect in his own right, combining power striking with an effective wrestling game. However, his tendency to get hit might be a worry. He was able to survive well enough on the regional scene and on the reality series, but the season ended with his getting blown apart by the striking of Mairon Santos. Ofli should be game, but outwrestling the stronger Naimov figured to be an uphill battle, made even tougher by the Tajik’s tendency to answer opponents with big shots. The pick is Naimov via second-round knockout.

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Adesanya vs. Imavov
Magomedov vs. Page
Pavlovich vs. Rozenstruik
Nurmagomedov vs. Oliveira
Davis vs. Ziam
Naimov vs. Ofli
The Prelims