Israel Adesanya suffered his fourth defeat in five fights on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, losing to Nassourdine Imavov via TKO in the second round. The 35-year-old former champion from Nigeria was favored to win, but failed to deliver his usual performance.
Adesanya’s loss has cast doubt on his future in the sport after a streak of four losses in five fights. He had been considered one of the top contenders for the title before the loss, but now finds himself questioning his own prospects moving forward.
Imavov, 28, picked up the biggest win of his career with the victory, which has put him at the forefront of the conversation to challenge Adesanya’s former titleholder Dricus Du Plessis in the future. The Frenchman praised his performance, saying he proved himself as a better striker and is now ready for a title shot.
UFC CEO Dana White was not concerned about Adesanya’s prospects moving forward, praising his performance in the opening round but acknowledging that he got caught once it turned for Imavov. Adesanya’s future remains uncertain, but one thing is clear – he needs to regroup and reassess his strategy if he wants to regain his title contention status.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/43654230/nassourdine-imavov-stuns-israel-adesanya-2nd-round-tko