Israel Adesanya's Time in UFC Running Out

Israel Adesanya (24-6 MMA, 13-8 UFC) will be fighting for the second time in 2026 in under four weeks. On Dec. 5, the UFC's penultimate event of the year's schedule will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

That night, Adesanya, the No. 10 contender in the middleweight division, will verse No. 15 contender Shara Magomedov (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC.) This will be a five-round fight at five minutes per round to wrap up the evening's activities in Riyadh.

As mentioned, Israel Adesanya will be making his second walk this year in the first week of December. This past March, "The Last Stylebender" trekked to Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena for the UFC Seattle headliner. Joe Pyfer stopped Adesanya inside the second round with punches.

With the loss, Adesanya's losing streak ran to four. Given his skid, UFC Riyadh's main event will be that much more crucial.

Shara Magomedov Riding Two-Fight Winning Streak Going into Riyadh

Shara Magomedov will be making the walk to the Octagon for the eighth time on Dec. 5. At the moment, he's won two fights under MMA rules in succession.

He's had a busy 2026, making two combat sports appearances this past summer alone. As far as MMA fights are concerned, he last fought on the night of June 27 in Baku, Azerbajian. That weekend, he scored a unanimous decision victory after 15 minutes of action versus Michel Pereira (32-15, 2 NC MMA, 10-6 UFC.)

After his triumph in Azerbajian early on in the summer, Shara Magomedov then turned his attention to the mat of Real American Freestyle for a Sept. 5 match against Neiman Gracie in Moscow, winning by decision. The Dec. 5 fight in Riyadh is Magomedov's 19th MMA appearance and is a stepping stone for a bright future in the sport if he wins.

Israel Adesanya in Bind Ahead of UFC Riyadh

In the other corner, Israel Adesanya's MMA career is on the line with the main event of UFC Riyadh on Dec. 5. To find the last time that he won a fight inside the Octagon, you'd need to travel back to April of 2023 in UFC 287.

That night, Adesanya was challenging for the UFC Middleweight Championship against Alex Pereira, with "The Last Stylebender" emerging victorious by way of second-round knockout due to a counter right. Since then, out of his four consecutive losses, three have been recorded inside the distance.

Two of them have happened by way of knockout in the second round, including the previously-mentioned loss against Joe Pyfer in the Pacific Northwest. Adesanya's four-fight losing streak is also coupled with his age. Back in July, he celebrated his 37th birthday.

Another loss in the UFC Riyadh main event would make it five setbacks in succession. To say that Israel Adesanya is in must-win territory on Dec, 5 in Saudia Arabia vs. Shara Magomedov would be the understatement of the decade. While Adesanya has said in the past that he has no plans of ending his MMA career, the UFC would be best served to cut him if he loses in a few weeks' time.