Tag: Israel Adesanya

UFC Legend Weighs In On Israel Adesanya’s Future After Third Straight Loss

Israel Adesanya isn’t finished with his UFC career just yet — at least, that’s the belief of a UFC Hall of Famer. Once revered as one of the most dominant UFC middleweight champions, “The Last Stylebender” now finds himself in a turbulent chapter of his career, enduring one of the roughest stretches of his professional […]

Israel Adesanya isn’t finished with his UFC career just yet — at least, that’s the belief of a UFC Hall of Famer.

Once revered as one of the most dominant UFC middleweight champions, “The Last Stylebender” now finds himself in a turbulent chapter of his career, enduring one of the roughest stretches of his professional run with three consecutive setbacks.

Most recently, Adesanya fell victim to a second-round knockout at the hands of rising contender Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, which took place last Saturday at the anb Arena in Riyadh.

Several fans and analysts are now speculating that the 35-year-old Nigerian-born Kiwi has surpassed his peak and should consider hanging up the gloves. However, former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier isn’t ready to write him off just yet, believing Adesanya still has more fights left in him.

During a recent video on his YouTube channel, “DC” offered a candid assessment of Adesanya’s future in the Octagon while breaking down the UFC Saudi Arabia headliner.

“I believe that Adesanya is done fighting for titles, but what I do not believe is that Adesanya is done as a fighter,” Cormier said. “What I saw in round one was enough for me to believe that he could still compete. What I do believe, though, is that Israel Adesanya has earned the right to fight lesser competition right now but also less rounds.”

Cormier went on to emphasize that “The Last Stylebender” remains one of the UFC’s top draws, possessing the skills to mount a comeback. He believes Adesanya should be given more chances to compete in three-round matchups.

“He could fight on co-main events and would still add value to a pay-per-view. It doesn’t always have to be in those five-round main events. But when you saw what he did last weekend, Saudi Arabia, sold out, big gate, now you know why Adesanya is still being put in those positions. But in that first round I saw enough to say he can still compete. He looked fast, he looked sharp, but it’s not the speed that’s gone from Adesanya. It’s the ability to see things coming, that quickness, the vision, and when you get hit as you get older, you go down.”

Adesanya has competed in 12 title fights, securing an 8-4 record across his total of 18 UFC appearances. “The Last Stylebender” first relinquished his middleweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281, only to reclaim it in a dramatic rematch at UFC 287. However, his reign was short-lived, as he lost the belt once more to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

Israel Adesanya’s Coach Breaks Down KO Loss To Nassourdine Imavov

Israel Adesanya’s striking coach has pinpointed the crucial mistake that cost him his fight against Nassourdine Imavov. “The Last Stylebender” found himself overwhelmed by Imavov’s relentless assault, ultimately succumbing to a knockout loss in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia last Saturday at anb Arena in Riyadh. The momentum shifted early in the second […]

Israel Adesanya’s striking coach has pinpointed the crucial mistake that cost him his fight against Nassourdine Imavov.

“The Last Stylebender” found himself overwhelmed by Imavov’s relentless assault, ultimately succumbing to a knockout loss in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia last Saturday at anb Arena in Riyadh.

The momentum shifted early in the second round when Adesanya protested an eye poke but chose not to take a timeout. Before he could properly reset, Imavov capitalized, landing a devastating right hand. Seconds later, a barrage of ground-and-pound forced the referee to step in and stop the fight.

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Adesanya’s striking coach, Mike Angove, praised Imavov for executing a thoughtful game plan and capitalizing on the moment to claim the victory.

He also highlighted that the former UFC middleweight champion’s decision to forgo the timeout after the eye poke prevented him from resetting, which eventually led to the knockout.

“The name of the game, particularly in small gloves: You can’t make mistakes,” Angove said. “We made a mistake. Nassourdine, I would say, with his team, recognized when we made that mistake and they jumped on it – which means they have to have planned. So you’ve got to congratulate them for that. Izzy got poked in the eye. There was a break. Izzy didn’t want to take the break – was just keen on getting on with it. But in doing that, he didn’t reset as you normally would and create some space.

“That means you’re still in the firing zone, and then you want him to keep the pressure on. It’s just one of those things. It just happens. He felt he was doing well in the fight and wanted to keep that pressure on, and Nassourdine caught him switching – beautiful right hand that resonated around the stadium and he couldn’t recover from that. It was right on the button, and then he followed up with a left hook against the cage and the referee came and stopped it.”

Adesanya’s reign as the 185-pound champion came to an end when he lost to Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in September 2023. He then suffered another setback in his attempt to regain the title, falling short against the reigning champion, Dricus Du Plessis, at UFC 305 this past August

Francis Ngannou Sends Supportive Message To Israel Adesanya After Third Straight Loss At UFC Saudi Arabia

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has told friend Israel Adesanya to keep his chin up following another setback inside the cage this past Saturday. After back-to-back losses at the hands of Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, Adesanya returned to non-title, non-pay-per-view competition on Feb. 1. The ex-middleweight kingpin headlined the UFC’s second visit […]

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has told friend Israel Adesanya to keep his chin up following another setback inside the cage this past Saturday.

After back-to-back losses at the hands of Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, Adesanya returned to non-title, non-pay-per-view competition on Feb. 1.

The ex-middleweight kingpin headlined the UFC’s second visit to Saudi Arabia, where he was tasked with stalling the rise of Nassourdine Imavov to avoid the first three-fight skid of his career.

“The Last Stylebender” ultimately failed in that regard, with his strong opening round being rendered null and void by a thunderous right hand from the Frenchman seconds into the second frame, which soon led to a TKO stoppage inside anb Arena.

Though understandably frustrated with another defeat, Adesanya didn’t appear too disheartened when reacting to the knockout soon after. And he’s also not short on supporters sending encouraging words, including a prominent one in the form of Ngannou.

“Unforgiving sport. Champ one day, champ forever,” Ngannou wrote on X. “@stylebender, we love you, man, and will always stand by your side.

“Congrats to @imavov1 for his amazing performance.”

Ngannou and Adesanya once ruled over their respective divisions in the UFC at the same time, forming a close bond as two of three reigning African champions on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

Alongside the third, Kamaru Usman, “The Last Stylebender” walked out behind Ngannou for the Cameroonian’s memorable boxing debut opposite former WBC champion Tyson Fury back in October 2023.

Video: Israel Adesanya Says ‘I’ll Be Back’ After Stunning UFC Knockout Loss to Imavov

Israel Adesanya doesn’t appear to be considering retirement despite suffering a swift defeat at the hands of Nassourdine Imavov during the UFC Fight Night 250…

Israel Adesanya doesn’t appear to be considering retirement despite suffering a swift defeat at the hands of Nassourdine Imavov during the UFC Fight Night 250…