Israel Adesanya suffers second straight knockout after an overhead right, a left uppercut, and a follow-up left hook earned Noussarine Imavov a round 2 TKO at UFC Fight Night 250 in Riyadh on Saturday.
Adesanya has now lost his last three fights and four of the last five UFC fights.
The fight by the former two-time UFC middleweight champion against Imavov is his first non-title bout since 2019.
Furthermore, Adesanya has been submitted to and knocked out in his last 2 fights.
Adesanya Suffers Second Straight Knockout: Breaking Down The Fight
Adesanya (24-5) took an early lead with his trademark rangy striking attack and elusive footwork.
However, Imavov did crack him with a hard shovel uppercut right hand in that first stanza. A shot that proved to be prophetic just minutes later.
Izzy once again did not protect his chin or temple like a scrub, a situation that makes UFC fighters always get clocked with arms fully extended when the shot lands.
Adesanya stayed in range and he got rocked like a target practice.
Before now, Izzy avoided shots, threw shots, and stayed in the pocket but didn’t cause a reset in this fight. These are mistakes he rarely used to make.
The Future
A win over the fifth-ranked Imavov at the event could have earned Adesanya another title shot or at least a bout with a number-one contender. He aims to reclaim his position at the top of the division.
As for Imavov (16-4, 1 NC), with a four-fight win streak in tow, It was natural to call for a UFC middleweight title shot.
The middleweight title fight is on Feb. 8 at UFC 312. It’s a rematch between reigning champion Dricus du Plessis and former champ Sean Strickland.