UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev

The official Tapology discussion thread for the event!

Event was not canceled, but postponed until June 2nd.

More than likely want to stack the main card.

* Edited at 01.15.2024, 3:54 PM ET *

I just saw a post by Ariel saying the event has been postponed till June due to the Saudis claiming that the card does not have big or household names which are not worthy of having the event in Riyadh in March.

Having Arabs and Middle Easterns on this card does not ever warranty the event to be postponed considering that Saudi is an Arab country and fighters would be privileged and honored to be fighting there especially those who might never get an opportunity to fight at a UFC event in their own Middle Eastern/Arab countries. I feel for those who'll get a call on their fights getting cancelled and I do not think they'll get rebooked. The UFC could possibly come up with a whole new card from scratch.

Such a bummer to me and so freakin ridiculous.

Boxing money has apparently blindfolded the Saudis.

* Edited at 01.15.2024, 4:07 PM ET *

Yeah 8 fights nothing big they have a point add 2 big name fights and they are ok.
Not sure how many UFC fighters want to go over unless there is a big bonus.
Being a fight night not a PPV not sure why Dana would do this here.

The sheikhs are paying the ufc a 20 million dollar site fee so not shocked they are requesting a big event

Or not even a big event , just not a Apex quality card, UFC should of gave the Saudi a more respecble card than that, bet the Saudi were expecting a good free UFC event, and instead the UFC gave them Apex 

Also, crazy this has been the 3rd UFC card in the last year and a bit that has been cancelled/postponed and move back to to the Apex because the UFC made a **** card that no want want to see, UFC should planned better 

* Edited at 01.15.2024, 8:36 PM ET *

What do you guys think the main event will be considering the shift of location?

Emmett vs Giga would be a fun 5-rounder for such card if there are no BIG names.

Umar vs Sandhagen would be good too but it should take place in front of a packed house in my opinion.

* Edited at 01.16.2024, 1:52 AM ET *

If they are postponing the event, I imagine it's because they want somebody like Islam to headline a title in Saudi.

Islam said either before March or after Ramadan.

* Edited at 01.16.2024, 2:07 AM ET *

If they postponed this event because they wanted Islam on the card then the Saudi people are idiots and just wasted everyone time being idiots . You ask for a free UFC card, don’t expect a PPV quality card ,Islam isn’t fighting on free TV.

I just think Saudi want a better card than this, this card is Apex quality and the Saudi want a quality free card the UFC usually makes when they move outside the Apex, UFC should of made a better card for the Saudi and I 100% blame the UFC for this event being cancelled 

Also sucks that the UFC got  3 international card In a year or so cancelled, international crowds are usually the better one because they don’t have MMA every week

* Edited at 01.16.2024, 3:14 AM ET *

Islam said June 8th he will be back. I’m sure that’s the new date for Saudi card

I believe the reasons for postponing the Saudi Card is an example that Dana White went wrong with wanting to be smarter than everyone else and that maybe he really doesn't know what kind of people he is dealing with when he wants to organize a Fight Card in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Government is spending hundreds of millions on a Face Laundry, but spending money easily doesn't make you lose track of the true value of things. We are talking about the Saudi Football League having taken in players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Benzema: who are footballers with global impact.

On the Fury vs. Boxing Card Ngannou apart from having the UFC Champion vs. matchup. Boxing World Champion, they had Joseph Parker (Former Boxing Champion), Wardley (Top Rank Prospect) and another couple of undefeated boxers fighting. The Day of Reckoning Card was a Co-Promotion between Matchroom, Top Ranks, Queensberry (Frank Warren Promotion) and 3 other promotions, an event that had Joshua, Wilder, Bivol and a bunch of Contenders in HW division. 

Even the PFL Card was approved because it will face the Bellator champions vs. PFL Champions and literally on the undercard AJ McKee, Aaron Pico and Yoel Romero are going to fight.

On the other hand, removing the Mokaev vs. fights. Perez, Klein vs. Alvarez and Jairzinho vs. Gaziev and the obvious fights of Middle Eastern fighters like Yahya and Al-Selwady (who have to be included even in the Preelims for obvious reasons) the rest of the card is not worthy for Saudis and the 3 fights you mention would be the a lot of older Preelims or the Main Card Opener. When they get the new date, the UFC must at least achieve the quality level of the Abu Dhabi cards and make it a Numbered Event (PPV), just as the Saudi Government ignores human rights, they don't care who the #1 company is. in MMA, Dana White and company have to work harder next time.

I had heard they were trying to have Shavkat vs Usman headline this event. Shavkat isn’t 100% from his ankle injury so they couldn’t fight. Obviously I don’t think that’s the exact reason but I do think it factored into the decision 

After my old comment and carefully analyzing the current matchups: Beyond Anders vs. Pickett, the card wasn't that bad. The thing is that, as I say, Mokaev-Perez should be the Main Card Opener at most (and the rest of the fights already scheduled would be pre-elims with Jairzinho vs. Gaziev as the fight before the Main Card). This card with Emmett vs. Chikadze, Sandhagen vs. Umar and as you mention Shavkat vs. Main Card's Usman could probably pass the quality standard that the Saudis ask for (they could even add veterans who may not be in the Top 15, but with name value in the preliminaries). Perhaps more than all the matchmaking problem was due to the proximity to UFC 299 and UFC 300, but as I say, Dana White and company must be clear that when they go to Saudi Arabia they have to do Cards with the quality of the events in Abu Dhabi.

I agree with you that Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Cory Sandhagen should have been announced as Main Event and the fact that they had not made the announcement as soon as possible was what cost the location change issue.

I really hope Umar vs sandhagen doesn't happen until after sandhagen gets a title shot. Umar has done nothing to deserve a top 5 opponent other than his name 

Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev
Shamil Gaziev, TKO, R2
We are all witnesses

Alvarez vs. Klein
Ľudovít Klein, DEC
Kleins the best fighter to come from Oktagon

Oliveira vs. Ghemmouri
Yanis Ghemmouri, DEC
should be fun

Polastri vs. Knutsson
Josefine Knutsson, DEC
imo swedens best hope for a championship right now

@Mothswords 

"done nothing to deserve a top 5 opponent other than his name" is ridiculous with all due respect.

He's beaten tough guys excluding Kelleher but his inactivity is what illuminates the idea of yours.

Mark my words. Umar will headline this card against Sandhagen or Giga vs Emmett.

* Edited at 01.21.2024, 12:16 PM ET *

The thread says the apex is the new location for this fight night card despite the UFC not making an official announcement and the website has not updated the location of the card with its new location.

There is a slight chance in my mind they could hold it in Abu Dhabi because most fighters are Middle Eastern and having them fight in the apex kinda doesn't make any sense.

* Edited at 01.21.2024, 12:26 PM ET *

It’s been confirmed in the apex. Ufc requested a liscense to hold this event in the apex 

LOKDOG!!! 💣💣💣 one of the most exciting fighter coming from dwcs. Hyped to see him do well in the big league

With the request to host the card in the Apex Center, We can confirm that the UFC fumbled the bag with the Saudis this time (unlike Ngannou).