The lineup for UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1 has taken a hit after middleweight André Muniz ran into passport issues while attempting to fly to the Middle East.
After closing out its short January schedule with a memorable UFC 311 pay-per-view in Los Angeles, the mixed martial arts leader will hit the road to kick off February at Riyadh's anb Arena next weekend.
Headlining UFC Saudi Arabia will be former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya as he looks to bounce back at the expense of rising contender Nassourdine Imavov. Plenty of intrigue also surrounds the co-main event, in which the unbeaten Shara Magomedov will welcome Michael "Venom" Page to the division for a one-off outing at 185 pounds.
Beyond those contests, a fairly deep UFC Saudi Arabia card was put together. But as has already been the case in 2025, no lineup is safe from late blows.
In this instance, a middleweight clash between the formerly ranked Muniz and last year's headliner in Saudi Arabia, Ikram Aliskerov, has fallen through. The Brazilian took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal that an unexpected issue with his passport prevented travel to Riyadh.
Both men are now off the card, with Muniz noting that the UFC intends on rebooking the fight for a later date.
“Unfortunately, neither I nor my team, nor the UFC, knew about this in time to let us know, and I haven’t been able to go through the entire process to get this document yet,” Muniz said in Portuguese (h/t MMA Junkie). “The UFC thought it would be better to reschedule my fight with the same opponent, but it took another date. I’m waiting for you to set the date right away, and that’s it.”
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The news further delays Muniz's long-awaited return. The submission specialist hasn't competed since December 2023, when he outpointed JunYong Park to rebound from a two-fight losing skid.
Aliskerov, meanwhile, was hoping for redemption in the Middle East on Feb. 1 after falling to a first-round knockout in his late-notice main event against Robert Whittaker seven months ago.
With this cancellation, the current lineup for UFC Saudi Arabia next Saturday is as follows:
- Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Michael Page
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira
- Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli
- Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen
- Damir Hadzovic vs. Terrance McKinney
- Mike Davis vs. Fares Ziam
- Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad
- Abdul-Kerim Al-Selwady vs. Bolaji Oki
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