- MMA SCRIBBLES
- Posts
- UFC & More Knuckles This Weekend
UFC & More Knuckles This Weekend
BKFC is Back and the UFC is in Saudi Arabia
Ed Carbajal
January 31, 2025
UFC Fight Night
From Saudi Arabia
We got another MMA event from the other side of the world again this weekend.
Last weekend, PFL was in Dubai, and this weekend’s UFC Fight Night has the return to Saudi Arabia. Nothing like makin’ money on those site fees to get an early card going on a Saturday morning!
Hopefully, where we can watch these changes this year but we won’t know anything just yet about the UFC’s new TV deal. Rumor has it, that Netflix is in the running since WWE is already on there and they’re under the TKO/Endeavor umbrella of sports properties.
But, you never know.
For now, here are two fights that should be on your radar:
Israel Adesanya vs Nassourdine Imavov
The main event has the number two UFC-ranked middleweight, Adesanya facing the number seven-ranked, Imavov.
Adesanya lost his last two fights, a drop from headlining pay-per-views to a “Fight Night” event, but he is still half of the main event. He needs to not pick up a third loss if he wants to get back on top again, but this sport eats up fighters faster than any other and Imavov is hungry.
His three-fight win streak is a strong one and with Adesanya’s game plan seemingly exposed, Imavov can make a name for himself and propel up the rankings if he can pull off another win.
A lot on the line for a division that seems to be getting more interesting.
Shara "Bullet" Magomedov takes on Michael "Venom" Page
This co-main event should be fun.
A strikers delight with Magomedov against Page, who if you haven’t seen his Bellator run makes for an interesting match-up. Both men claim kickboxing/striking as their bread and butter, both have been criticized for it as well. So, either they test their stand up against one another or someone tests the ground.
Either way, this one should produce some highlights for the weekend. It all starts at 9 A.M. on ESPN+.
Check out more detailed predictions on this week’s Coast-2-Coast Combat Hour.
BKFC: Lane vs Vancamp
BKFC has been going full-steam ahead.
This is their third week in a row of holding events. Last weekend’s Knucklemania V broke records for combat sports in Philadelphia and proved that the promotion is becoming a nice alternative to the UFC if you’re losing interest in them. They’ve come a long way and they’re not stopping.
Check out my piece on Bec Rawlings for that event over at MyMMANews
If you’re a New England area fight fan, combat sports at the Mohegan Sun Arena is something I highly recommend if you have never been. For a casino venue, it’s probably one of the best and most underrated in the Northeast for these types of events.
The main event features Julian Lane vs. Cameron Vancamp. But there are a few notable fighters from MMA making their debut as well.
One in particular is Brennan Ward, Ward is well known in the area and a big draw at this venue. If you have never seen him fight or heard of Ward, I recommend you read MMA Junkie’s Nolan King’s long-form piece on Ward. It’s a piece King is proud of and a great read.
Another debut is heavyweight, Yorgan De Castro.
De Castro seems to fight everywhere and is looking to collect titles everywhere. He recently fought and won over at Cage Titans 68 where he defeated Jahshua Marsh to become their heavyweight champion. I spoke to him before that fight, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he does at BKFC. Check out my chat with him for the Cage Titans event here:
It’s on DAZN unfortunately, but check the DAZ Sports Youtube channel if you can’t get there. 7 P.M. ET should be the starting time.
So if you like your fights on the weekend, consider your Saturday dance card full!
Keep this newsletter free by using my Amazon affiliate link when you shop on Amazon. It helps support my work at no additional cost to you.