Aaron McKenna to make first IBF middleweight defence against Jevgenijs Aleksejevs in Riyadh

Aaron McKenna will make the first defence of his IBF middleweight title against unbeaten Latvian Jevgenijs Aleksejevs in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 14 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, December 4.

The 12-round bout was announced on Saturday, during the broadcast of Carlos Adames against Gerome Warburton on Paramount+. It will stream on Paramount+ in the United States and Canada, and on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, The Ring reports.

Tickets are on sale through WeBook, according to UFC. The card is billed as part of Riyadh Season.

Two unbeaten middleweights

McKenna (21-0, 10 KOs) won the then-vacant IBF title with a one-sided unanimous decision over Etinosa Oliha on August 8 in Dublin. The 27-year-old from Monaghan is rated No. 3 among middleweight contenders by The Ring for its vacant title. UFC describes him as a nine-year professional and says that win was his first fight at home as a pro.

Aleksejevs (20-0, 10 KOs) is a former kickboxer who holds the IBF European middleweight title. The 33-year-old is ranked No. 12 by the IBF at middleweight. He won a regional title last October by unanimous decision over Przemyslaw Zysk, and in February he beat Italy’s Damiano Falcinelli over 10 rounds.

What could come next

The Ring says a McKenna win could set up a unification fight with Adames, its No. 1-rated middleweight, or with former WBO champion Denzel Bentley. Those are possibilities, not confirmed plans.

McKenna also has a mandatory defence pending against Amari Jones (17-0, 15 KOs), The Ring’s No. 6-rated middleweight. Jones fights DeAundre Pettus in the main event of a Golden Boy Promotions card on DAZN on Friday at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.

The supporting card

Jack Massey (23-4, 13 KOs) meets Andrew Tabiti (22-2, 18 KOs) in a 10-round cruiserweight co-feature. Massey is looking to recover from a seventh-round stoppage loss to Chev Clarke on Zuffa Boxing 07 in June, UFC says.

Zak Chelli (17-3-1, 9 KOs), Zuffa’s newest signing, faces Jesse Hart (31-4, 25 KOs) at light heavyweight. Ryan Rozicki (21-2-1, 20 KOs) meets France’s Gaetan NTambwe in another cruiserweight bout. Welterweight prospect Alex MacMillan (5-0, 4 KOs) fights a six-rounder against an opponent yet to be named.

What does McKenna need to show in Riyadh to make the unification fights happen?