Israel Adesanya will consider his future after suffering a fourth loss in his last five fights as, on Saturday the 1st of February in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the former UFC middleweight champion fell in the second round to a crisp Nassourdine Imavov shot.
After slumping Adesanya, Imavov pounced on him and closed the show with ground-and-pound while the veteran was in a vulnerable position. Though Adesanya appeared to express frustration with the referee withdrawing him from the bout, there was no alternative action to be taken as, had the fight been allowed to continue, it would likely have sent Adesanya into an unconscious state.
Speaking to the UFC post-fight show after his pro MMA record fell to 24 (16 KOs) against five losses, Adesanya refused to make any rash decisions about his future, and retirement, but indicated it would be a decision he’d make in the coming months.
Israel Adesanya Reacts to Nassourdine Imavov Loss
Adesanya said Imavov has forced him to think about the future
Adesanya has been a lightning bolt in the UFC, as he quickly rose to the championship level, attempted to become champ-champ, and remains one of the biggest names in the entire business. However, just as fast as he rose to the top, he’s quickly falling down the middleweight rankings. And it’s unclear how he can find his way back to a title shot.
When talking about what’s next, he said: “I have to chill and then think about things.”
“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.”
He added that he’s “disappointed” with how the fight went, particularly as he won the opening round on GIVEMESPORT’s unofficial scorecard, but was then finished quite quickly into the second round.
“I hate disappointing my fans and my team,” he said. “My team’s still proud of me for the work that I put into this. It’s just the thrill and agony.”
He continued: “To be able to feel something so great but also able to feel something so deep and so [frustrating]. It’s a f****** lovely game, but it’s a stupid game at the same time.
“He must be excited to beat a guy like me. But again, I felt good. Round one, I was in control of everything. In hindsight, maybe I should have taken some time. I just didn’t want him to rest because I knew he was tired. I didn’t want him to rest. But again, [hindsight is] 20/20.”
