Nassourdine Imavov delivers a killer against Adesanya
Nassourdine Imavov delivers a killer against Adesanya

UFC: Imavov Disarms Adesanya In Surprise Knock-out

1 week ago
2 mins read

Nigeria-New Zealander mixed martial art fighter, Israel Adesanya, suffered a major defeat in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, and may need a lot of ginger to bounce back into the UFC.

Adesanya competing in the middleweight division was handed a shocking knockout by Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250.

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The former two-time middleweight champion, entered the bout under immense pressure, having dropped back-to-back fights to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.

Despite being the favourite, Adesanya couldn’t halt his skid as Imavov, a Dagestani-born Frenchman, delivered the most significant win of his career with a stunning second-round knockout.

READ ALSO: Israel Adesanya Aims To Re-ignite Career In Saudi Re-Match

Adesanya began the fight light on his feet, using a series of hard low kicks to attack Imavov’s lead leg.

However, the relentless Imavov wasn’t deterred, as he continued to press forward. He eventually closed the distance and did not hesitate to land a killer blow that snapped Adesanya’s head back.

With just over a minute left in the round, Adesanya took a heavy right hand but managed to stay on his feet.

Moments later, Imavov landed another right hand that saw Adesanya this time crashing to the canvas, with Imavov delivering further attacks.

A night too hot for Adesanya
A night too hot for Adesanya

Referee Marc Goddard at this point had no option than to step in, halting the fight and declaring Imavov the winner.

The defeat marked Adesanya’s third consecutive defeat and second career knockout loss.

Prior to the fight, Adesanya had dismissed concerns about his future, telling Stake.com, “I’m always in the title picture. That’s because I’m Israel Adesanya, and I’ve done so much in this game.

The loss marks the first time Adesanya has competed without a UFC championship on the line in six years and 12 fights. His professional record now stands at 24 wins with 16 knockouts and four defeats in his 13-year MMA career.

As for Imavov, it marks the biggest victory of his career, potentially putting him in line for a title shot following previous wins over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen.

The AnB Arena venue of Saturday’s showdown had capacity crowd watching including global football icon, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Imavov had said before the fight “I will bring the war to Isreal, A war like he has never seen before.” Little wonder he was so furious in his attacks.

Some who reacted to the fight expressed disappointment in the manner Adesanya lost the fight.

Joshua Olusegun 🇳🇬 🇬🇧🇨🇦 @Leged45 said; “Israel Adesanya has actually been a sore loser for a little while now and I don’t understand what’s going wrong with him. Today it’s the little known Nassourdine Imavov that finished him off quite easily. #UFCSaudiArabia.

Vem extinção da maldade 🙌 @DuduDaSilvaTh however believes he will bounce back, saying “After thi, he will turn things around! Adesanya will still recover! Izzy can still be that Izzy from before! And I think the referee was premature! What a historic victory for Imavov! Toppled a legend! #UFC #UFCSaudiArabi.”

 

 

 

 

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julius
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Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.

Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.

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