UFC gave us a Saturday morning start time with a UFC Fight Night event from Saudi Arabia. A new contender rose, a former champ fell, and a salty old dog held off the new hotness, among other notable (and not-so notable) occurrences.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from UFC Saudi Arabia.

1. Welcome to the short list of middleweights who matter, Nassourdine Imavov

Whatever we may say about Israel Adesanya’s future after this fight, this is a guy who doesn’t lose to anyone who isn’t very, very good. Nassourdine Imavov just became only the second person to stop the former champ with strikes in an MMA fight. The other one is current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

If you stop Adesanya, you’re in the title picture. That’s the rule. Imavov stopped "The Last Stylebender" decisively, adding a fourth straight victory in the process. The 185-pound division needs some new blood up there near the top, vying for the title. With this win, Imavov just added his name to this list.

2. “The Last Stylebender” just found the fork in the road

A little less than two years ago, he was the UFC middleweight champ. Now he’s lost three straight, with defeats inside the distance in the past two. This is a man who, prior to this current skid, had never lost two fights in a row. At age 35, it seems safe to say that Adesanya’s days as the best in any division are now over for good.

So what comes next? Adesanya got caught with a good shot, but before that he didn’t look like a fighter with nothing left. He can keep on keeping on in the middleweight class if he wants to. The question is, for what? If he’s not headed back to a title, it might be time to think about shifting him into that “fun fight” mode.

3. “MVP” is still a tough out and a frustrating night

This fight was a big opportunity for Shara Magomedov to step up and show off. But people forget that Michael “Venom” Page has lasted this long, in part, because he’s learned a few tricks along the way.

Stylistically, Page is still a tough puzzle to solve. Even at age 37, he’s a potential problem in two different divisions. You take that guy lightly at your own peril. Now we need to find him something exciting to do for his next outing. A meeting with Leon Edwards on British soil might fit the bill if the former welterweight champ gets past Jack Della Maddalena in March.

4. One thing you can say for winning an ugly fight? It’s better than losing an ugly fight

So, OK, Sergei Pavlovich didn’t exactly blow our minds with his decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. You book two heavyweights like that, you’re hoping it won’t see the scorecards. Pavlovich did enough to win without doing enough to impress. That keeps him in the hunt.

It also snaps a two-fight losing streak, which was probably on his mind a lot more than entertaining the crowd.

5. Ever see a guy get hit so hard he takes his own mouthpiece out and calls it a night?

Now you have. Shamil Gaziev tagged Thomas Petersen so cleanly that Petersen had barely hit the deck before he reached up for the old gum shield.

That makes the ref’s job easier. It also gives us a clue as to just how unpleasant an experience it might be to end up on the business end of one of Gaziev’s punches. It certainly made an impression on Petersen.