Islam Dulatov will face Levan Chokheli in Saudi Arabia after Marcel Dorff confirmed the bout, with Israel Adesanya vs. Shara Magomedov headlining a Dec. 5 Riyadh UFC Fight Night event.
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Marcel Dorff has confirmed that Islam Dulatov will take on Levan Chokheli at an upcoming UFC event in Saudi Arabia, rounding out a card that also includes a major Middle East return on the UFC’s 2026 calendar.
The Dec. 5 Riyadh event is described as a UFC Fight Night event and is headlined by two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya against Shara Magomedov.
Dulatov enters the matchup with a 12-1 professional record, with every win coming by stoppage after a 4-1 amateur career that included only one decision. Following his 2019 UFC debut loss by unanimous decision, he rebounded with nine straight finishes, and he also won a one-off boxing bout with Legacy Crossover Fight Night in 2023.
At UFC 318, Dulatov debuted in spectacular fashion after earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series later in 2019. He knocked out Adam Fugitt in the opening round and received a “Performance of the Night” bonus, adding to a run that had already included a buzzer-beater first-round finish in his debut fight with Oktagon MMA.
Dulatov had been scheduled to return to the UFC in July against Wellington Turman, but he withdrew due to illness.
Chokheli will bring his own UFC momentum into the Saudi matchup after a rapid UFC debut in June. A seven-fight Bellator MMA veteran, Chokheli previously left Bellator after a 2024 loss when he was knocked out by former Bellator title challenger and UFC veteran Lorenz Larkin.
After rebounding with a finish in the main event of Phoenix FC 4 in Germany, the UFC signed Chokheli for a matchup with fellow UFC debutant Leon Shahbazyan. Chokheli needed only 23 seconds to dispatch Shahbazyan, bringing his overall MMA record to 15-3 heading into his next UFC appearance.
The UFC card in the excerpt’s lineup also lists additional bouts alongside the Riyadh main event: Jafel Filho vs. Bruno Silva; Matthieu Duclos vs. Modestino Rodrigues; Abdul Hussein vs. Hecher Sosa; and Levan Chokheli vs. Islam Dulatov.
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