It was supposed to be the first step on the road back to the title for Israel Adesanya.
The former UFC middleweight champion was competing in his first non-title bout since 2019 when he faced Nassourdine Imavov in the main event on Saturday's card in Riyadh, but after a promising start, it all came crashing down when he was knocked to the canvas by Imavov early in the second round.
Imavov followed up with some heavy ground and pound to secure the biggest victory of his career, leaving "The Last Stylebender" to reflect on what might have been.
“I hate disappointing my fans, my team – my team feel proud of me because of the work I put into this,” Adesanya said on the UFC Post-fight Show on ESPN+. “It’s just the thrill and agony.”
Adesanya, who competed in 12 straight title fights between 2019 and 2024, showed glimpes of his best form during the opening round, but was unable to maintain his control of the distance going into round 2.
“Round 1, I was in control of everything,” he insisted. “In hindsight, maybe I should have taken some time. I just didn’t want him to rest because I knew he was tired. So, I didn’t want him to rest. But again, 20/20.”
The 35-year-old has now lost three fights in a row, and four of his last five in total. With the middleweight title slipping further and further from his grasp, it's unclear what comes next for the former champion.
“I have to chill and then think about things,” Adesanya said. “I will relax first for a little bit, just help the teammates who have fights coming up, and yeah, see what I want to. I was going to do that anyway, but you know, now I’m forced to. Shoutout to Nassourdine for that.”
