Israel Adesanya sought to get his career back on track in his latest fight after suffering losses to reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland.
However, the former two-time UFC middleweight champion suffered his third consecutive defeat after a brutal knockout at the hands of Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Saudi Arabia main event.
“The Last Stylebender” looked sharp early but was ultimately caught with a decisive blow seconds into round two.
Late in the fight, an inadvertent eye poke from Imavov occurred. Adesanya had the option to take time to recover, but instead, the Nigerian-New Zealander chose to continue fighting. Moments later, he was rocked by a massive punch, which marked the beginning of the end.
In the immediate aftermath, Adesanya appeared unhappy with the stoppage. Following his third straight loss, he shared a video on social media where he rewatched the fight’s finish.
“Fair. Fair game,” Adesanya said after reviewing the stoppage. “Fair game. F*ck. … I’m still alive. That’s how the game goes.”
“As real as it gets.” – @ufc
Rolled the dice…snake eyes
I’ll be back, gone to get some milk.pic.twitter.com/XQ5eMgL6zd
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) February 1, 2025
