Top UFC heavyweights reportedly meet at UFC Qatar after two failed fight bookings

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 8:42 AM ET

(Zuffa LLC)

The UFC has reportedly added a matchup between top-ranked heavyweight contenders Serghei Spivac and Shamil Gaziev to its debut card in Qatar.

Set to take place in Doha on November 22, UFC Qatar will serve as one of the final UFC events of the ESPN era, as it closes out the promotion’s November schedule before UFC 323 and UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape take place in December.

Fans are still waiting for an update on what fight will headline the card on November 22, but Spivac vs. Gaziev is certainly one of the bigger fights out of the handful booked for the event thus far.

Shamil Gaziev Gets Crack At UFC Top 10

First reported by combat sports management agency Chosen Advisory, the heavyweight matchup will see Gaziev attempt to vault into the division's Top 10 rankings and move closer towards a title shot in the process.

The 35-year-old carried an undefeated record into a Dana White’s Contender Series opportunity in 2023 and won a UFC contract with a first-round submission. He extended his unbeaten run later that year when he stopped Martin Buday in his UFC debut, but a main event opportunity against Jairzinho Rozenstruik the following March saw Gaziev suffer the first loss since the end of his amateur career.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Gaziev returned to the win column with a unanimous decision over Don’Tale Mayes, and after knocking out Thomas Petersen in February he’ll now try to bring his winning run to three fights when he takes on Spivac in Qatar.

Serghei Spivac Looks To Avoid Three-Straight Losses

Currently sitting at #7 in the UFC heavyweight rankings, Spivac has competed in the Octagon since 2019 and has put together two separate three-fight win streaks across a 14-fight run with the promotion.

“Polar Bear” headlined three-straight UFC Fight Night cards from 2023-2024 and suffered a stoppage-loss to Ciryl Gane in between submission-wins over Derrick Lewis and Marcin Tybura. After defeating Tybura in under two minutes last year, Spivac was stopped by Jailton Almeida and most recently dropped a decision to Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 316.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

This will mark the third time that Spivac and Gaziev have been booked to meet. The pair were originally set to fight in May before Gaziev also pulled out of UFC 316 and was replaced by Cortes-Acosta, and the two top heavyweight contenders join a UFC Qatar card that is currently shaping up like this: