It is time for the fans of combat, fighting, and martial arts sports to come together and enjoy a night of top-tier fighters facing each other in the legendary octagon. On February 1, 2025, another big UFC live event will take place, for the second time ever in Saudi Arabia. Officially titled UFC Fight Night 250: Adesanya VS Imavov, it promises to be full of entertainment. There are a total of twelve fights planned for the event including some of the fighters who are on great streaks and in top form. With different weight classes as well as underdogs taking on favorites, it is everything a fan of MMA wants and needs.
UFC events are always great opportunities for online sports betting enthusiasts, which is why we will also talk about odds and predictions. Join us as we make out UFC Fight Night 250 picks for the Adesanya vs. Imavov fight as well as all of the other bouts that will precede it. It is a prime event that every sports fan and betting enthusiast should check out, let alone a lifelong fan of fighting sports and mixed martial arts. With veteran fighters entering the octagon and trying to write new pages of UFC history, this Saturday promises to be one for the record books. Let us dive deeper into it and explore the details surrounding the primetime event.
Where and When Does the Event Take Place?
Saudi Arabia knows how to organize a big sporting event as the Kingdom has been actively involved in some of the biggest sports and competitions in recent years. With their sponsorships and infrastructure, they are a rising sports power in the world which is why UFC CEO and president Dana White is hosting some of the most important fights there. February 1 will be the second time that the city of Riyadh hosts a big UFC event. The first time around, it happened in June 2024, for the UFC on ABC: Whittaker VS Aliskerov. The event was a resounding success and it opened the doors for future UFC visits to the city and country. It did not take long, about half a year to be precise, before the sport and the competition came back with a bang.
The anb Arena in Riyadh is where the fights will take place, a great new stadium capable of hosting all sorts of sporting and entertainment happenings. Top-tier MMA action awaits featuring elite fighters from all over the world, as well as a ceremonial weigh-in on January 31. Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports and facilities to accommodate them to promote itself to tourists and investors, and a big event like this benefits everyone. It is good for the sport, the fighters partaking, the local fighters hoping to make it in the Ultimate Fighting Championship down the line, and for the fans.
Preliminary Card Bouts and Odds
In the preliminary card at UFC 250 in Riyadh, there are going to be five fights in four different weight classes. In the heavyweight class, Shamil Gaziev takes on Thomas Petersen, while Hamdy Abdelwahab goes up against Jamal Pogues. In the lightweight division, we will get to see Terrance McKinney take on Damir Hadzovic. In the featherweight class, Bogdan Grad fights Lucas Alexander. In the lone women’s fight of the event, in the women’s flyweight class, there will be a bout between Jasmine Jasudavicius and Mayra Bueno Silva. Most of these matches will see fighters of equal or balanced records and form, but the odds still favor some more than others. Let us take a look at who fairs better a few days before the fights officially kick off.
In the first fight of the night, Hamdy Abdelwahab from Egypt will fight Jamal Pogues from the United States. The Egyptian fighter is less experienced with a record of 5-0-0 while the American has a score of 11-4-0. Despite this and the fact that Pogues fought more recently, the two have identical odds at the moment with 1.89. The over/under on the 2.5 rounds bet is 1.39 for the over and 2.90 for the under. It should be a tough matchup based on the same odds right now.
Next up on the schedule is a bout between the Austrian fighter Bogdan Grad and the Brazillian Lucas Alexander. Grad is more experienced with a record of 14-2-0, while Alexander is currently at 8-4-0. The odds, again, are very close right now as the more experienced Austrian barely squeezes the advantage with 1.88 over the Brazillian’s 1.89. The rounds over/under are set at 1.5 with 1.55 odds for the over and 2.41 for the under. This could be a quick match where a KO or a submission is a real possibility.
The two ladies fight right after when the Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius faces Brazillian Mayra Bueno Silva. Jasudavicius is the 12th-ranked fighter right now with a great track record of 4-1 in her last five fights. Overall, his record is 12-3-0. She has the advantage of 1.41 odds over Bueno Silva who is at 2.85, with a career record of 10-4-1. There is a 2.5 round over/under for 1.30 and 3.45 odds, respectively.
The next fight is the lightweight duel between the American Terrance McKinney and the Bosnian Damir Hadzovic. In this one, the USA fighter is heavily favored by the bookies as his odds are 1.21. The Bosnian is at 4.30. When you view their career records, this disparity in odds does not make a lot of sense. McKinney has a 15-7-0 record, while Hadzovic is at 14-7-0. It could be a good idea to bet on the underdog and hope he wins because we all know he can. The over/under for this match, according to stake.com, is set at 1.5 rounds with 2.75 for over and 1.43 for under. This, too, is a great bet to make.
The final match of the preliminary card is between SHamil Gaziev from Belarus and Thomas Petersen from the USA. The more experienced Belarus fighter with a 13-1-0 record is the favorite with 1.25 odds. The American has a good career record of 9-2-0 but is less favored in this matchup with only 3.85. Gaziev is currently ranked 14th, so that is the main factor is the odds difference. There is a 1.5 round set for the over/under, with 1.57 odds and 2.38 odds respectively.
Main Card Bouts and Odds
There are more main card bouts than preliminary bouts, which is always a plus for the fans of UFC and MMA. It means that more of the top-ranked and highly skilled fighters are featured in the event. The first main card duel is between experienced fighters both of which have a 4-1 record in their last five fights. The Frenchman Fares Ziam takes on the American Mike Davis. Ziam is a career 16-4-0 fighter while Davis is at 11-2-0. Despite being more experienced, Ziam enters the octagon as the underdog in this one with 2.27 odds to Davis’ 1.61. The round bet is set at 2.5 with 1.47 odds for over and 2.5 odds for under.
After them, it is the Tajik fighter Muhammad Naimov taking on the Australian Kaan Ofli. The Tajikistan featherweight Naimov is the favorite as he has fought more recently and with success. He gets 1.33 odds from the bookies while Ofli is at 3.20. The experts give 2.5 rounds as the limit for the over/under bet, with 1.55 and 2.42 odds. The fight does not appear to be one of the more exciting ones, but do not let that sway you as those tend to be the best ones to bet on.
In a bantamweight bout between super experienced fighters, Said Nurmagomedov from Russia takes on Vinicius Oliveira from Brazil. Nurmagomedov has an 18-3-0 record, and yet Oliveira still has more fights under his belt with 21-3-0. The favorite for this one is the Russian fighter with the odds of 1.52, while the Brazillian gets 2.49. Make sure to tune into this one as it is not often that fighters of this caliber go head to head. It should be a longer duel with the over on the 2.5-round limit set at 1.61 and the under at 2.28.
How about a heavyweight clash of two ranked fighters next? Sergei Pavlovich from Russia, the rank 4 fighter, will fight Jairzinho Rozenstruik from Surinam, the rank 9 fighter. Pavlovich has a career record of 18-3-0 with all of his wins coming after a KO or a TKO. Rozenstruik’s record is 15-5-0 and most of his wins, 88% of them, came after a KO or a TKO. The Russian is a favorite and a big one with 1.32 odds to the Surinamese’s 1.30. The rounds limit is 1.5 with the over at 2.65 odds and the under at 1.46.
The second-to-last fight of the event features another Russian, the 14th-ranked Shara Magomedov, taking on the fighter out of Great Britain Michael Page. Magomedov is less experienced, but he is still to lose a fight in his career with a 15-0-0 record. Page is quite experienced with 21-3-0, all of his wins coming after a decision. The rank and recent track record give the Russian an advantage at 1.53 odds over Page who is at 2.45. Betting on a longer match would not be a bad idea since the over on 2.5 rounds is 1.45 and the under is 2.70.
Finally, we have the headliner of the event when Israel Adesanya, the 35-year-old Nigerian-New Zealand star, and the current rank 2, faces off against the 28-year-old Nassourdine Imavov from France, the current rank 5. The middleweight clash of these two superb fighters is worthy of being the main fight of the night considering their records and reputation. Adesanya is at 24-4-0 in his career, while Imavov is currently at 15-4-0. Without too much surprise, Adesanya is the favorite according to the bookies who give him the odds of 1.56 to win the match. Nassourdine, on the other hand, is at 2.39, which is not too bad in a headline event against one of the best in the history of the middleweight division. If you want more proof of how exciting and great this fight should be, the over/under bet is set at a staggering 4.5 rounds, with the over at 1.49 and the under at 2.60.
Common and Niche Odds to Go With
Although there are many ways to bet on UFC and MMA, most bettors opt for the moneyline bet where you pick the winner. It is the most straightforward way to do things and it makes sense to opt for it regardless of the fight. Make sure to utilize the previewed odds we talked about and pick a few fights with this easy bet.
The over/under rounds bet is one step closer to being a more involved and informed fan of mixed martial arts and combat sports. You need some research as well as experience watching the fighters to know how long their fights in the octagon typically last to better predict how long this one could be. A good sign is the odds given on the over or under, especially with fighters who are more experienced and skilled, and whose fights usually last longer.
Method of winning bets are some of the most exciting, but they require even more knowledge on your end. Here, you bet on how the fight will end, i.e. how the winner will take the win. You can pick knockout (KO), technical knockout (TKO), submission, and decision wins. As mentioned, there needs to be some experience of watching the fighters and studying their usual method of winning, as well as how many of each they have had in their careers and recently.
