UFC Saudi Arabia recap: Israel Adesanya beaten by Nassourdine Imavov
Christopher Reive
That will do it for the blog, I'll leave you with the report of the bout. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Christopher Reive
Christopher Reive
As soon as they got back to it, Imavov planted Adesanya with an overhand right which sent the former champion stumbling against the fence. Imavov landed an uppercut with intent as Adesanya was against the cage which sent Adesanya to the canvas. While the Nigerian-Kiwi was defending himself, Imavov swarmed on his fallen foe and gave the referee no choice but to stop it.
Adesanya shows his frustration as Imavov celebrates. Imavov took his moment well.
IT'S OVER
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That might have been a mistake.
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Eye poke from Imavov. There's a slight delay but Adesanya calls him on.
Round two - FIGHT
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End of round one
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10-9 Adesanya. More active, accurate fighter. Imavov had some good moments, and he'll be pretty confident with the fact he connected the uppercut clean.
Christopher Reive
30secs to go in the round.
Christopher Reive
Beautifully disguised uppercut from Imavov - best shot of the round so far. That certainly got Adesanya's attention.
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Imavov rushes in again. Adesanya with a clinch and some knees before separating.
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Imavov rushes in. Adesanya avoids everything then lands a good one of his own.
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Strong jab down the pipe from Adesanya.
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Adesanya misses with a left hand. Imavov clinches but Adesanya defends and gets back to space.
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They're back to their feet in the middle of the cage.
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Imavov rushes in and shoots for a takedown. Well defended
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Imavov tries to counter a low kick with a left hand.
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Good left hand from Imavov.
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Low kick from Adesanya. Imavov returns, then wears another one.
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Adesanya showing high kicks early. Imavov takes the centre.
Round one - FIGHT
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Christopher Reive
They touch gloves. Time to fight.
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In Adesanya's corner will be head coach Eugene Bareman, wrestling coach Andrei Paulet, and striking coaches Tristam Apikotoa and 'Lightning' Mike Angove.
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Adesanya looks focused as he makes his way to the cage; he's wearing his custom lightning design shorts again.
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Imavov has made his way into the octagon. Adesanya isn't far away from making his walk.
Christopher Reive
This will be an interesting fight, which I expect to play out primarily in the striking exchanges. Imavov has shown a bit of a grappling game in his career, but in the UFC he's primarily operated on the feet with success.
Look for him to try and make the fight ugly. If Adesanya can dictate the range and pace, he should win this one in my opinion.
Christopher Reive
Earlier on the card, Australian Kaan Ofli, who completed his training camp at City Kickboxing in Auckland, fell to a unanimous decision loss on his UFC debut.
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In results, Michael Page beats Shara Magomedov via decision. Magomedov is undefeated no more.
Christopher Reive
Adesanya's legacy in the sport has already been well established and regardless of what happens in the rest of his career, he'll go down as one of the greats.
However, after losing back-to-back title fights and now in his first non-title fight since 2019, it does seem like a bit of a crossroads moment for the former two-time middleweight champion.
Beating Imavov will see him stay at No 2 in the division and in contention for another title fight this year. Losing to Imavov puts him outside of the title picture and would mean if he wanted to get back to the top, it would take a few more wins. Adesanya has always said he doesn't care too much for titles, but with a win today, he would surely be in contention for a rematch against either Dricus du Plessis or Sean Strickland - who fight for the belt in Sydney next week.
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Christopher Reive
In action at the moment is Michael 'Venom' Page and Shara 'Bullet' Magomedov at middleweight. Page moved up from welterweight to take this fight, which has been as expected through two rounds.
We're nearing the end of this one, and it looks set to go to the judges.
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“He’s not on a pay-per-view because he’s just been at the head of every pay-per-view for the last four or five years. Some of the biggest ones in the sport. So, he’s on a fight night as the main event.
“I don’t know, it’s hard to see that that’s a step down on it. That’s something for the fans to decide,” Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman said.
Christopher Reive
Nassourdine Imavov had a challenge for Israel Adesanya leading into their bout.
Tale of the tape
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Adesanya || Imavov
Record: 24-4 || 15-4 (1 no-contest)
Height: 193cm || 191cm
Reach: 203cm || 190cm
Age: 35 || 28
Wins by KO: 16 || 6
Wins by submission: 0 || 4
Christopher Reive
In my estimation, Adesanya v Imavov will get underway sometime in the 8.15am-8.30am vicinity. There's one fight left on the card prior to the main event.
Christopher Reive
I caught up with Israel last week before he flew over to Saudi Arabia and spoke with him about the bout against Imavov and what lies ahead.
Hello and welcome
Christopher Reive
This morning, Israel Adesanya will look to get back to winning ways inside the UFC octagon in Saudi Arabia.
The two-time middleweight champion will square off against Nassourdine Imavov - currently ranked No 5 in the division - in a five-round main event.
Christopher Reive here at NZME Towers to bring you the action.
Israel Adesanya is staying in his own lane.
The two-time UFC middleweight champion returns to action against fellow top-five-ranked athlete Nassourdine Imavov in Saudi Arabia today, but this time things are different.
After 12 title fights in a row, this will be the first time since February 2019 Adesanya hasn’t fought with a belt on the line. It will also be the first time since his first UFC main event in July 2018 that fans won’t have to pay a pay-per-view fee to watch Adesanya in action, with the bout headlining a Fight Night card.
“Am I a gatekeeper now? I don’t know. I don’t mind. I’m having fun, doing my thing, still getting paid, so we’ll go in there and do our thing,” Adesanya told the Herald.
“But I’m going to have fun. More than I have in a long time. My first UFC main event was five rounds against Brad Tavares. In that fight, I had a lot of fun. That’s where I’m at – I just want to freestyle sh**. You know, ‘Stylebender’.
“Did I go for a takedown? I can’t recall, but I did get him in a few submissions. This time, I’m a lot older now, a lot wiser, the energy’s a little bit different when it comes to getting ready for a fight. You guys know what this is, but the fun bit’s going to be the fight. Imavov’s just a cool, calm guy. The fun bit’s going to be the fight where we get some body language going.”
In Imavov, Adesanya meets a well-rounded opponent looking to continue to push himself into the title picture on the back of a three-fight winning streak – all of those wins coming against ranked opponents.
However, as Adesanya is looking forward to being able to prioritise fun again, he said for Imavov, it’s the biggest fight of his career.
“Definitely, the pressure’s on him. But again, I always put pressure on myself when I get there because I’m Israel Adesanya. There’s always that pressure, but he’s going to have to be the one rising to the occasion – if he has it in him. I have it in me to stop him.”
With 12 title fights between Fight Night main events, Adesanya’s mentality towards the sport between the two assignments has shifted drastically.
The bout against Tavares – an impressive lopsided decision win – was one of just four in which he attempted a takedown. It saw him attempt a submission for the first time in his UFC career, and he genuinely looked like he was having a great time inside the octagon.
It was just his third UFC fight and he was looking to stay active, fire his shots and climb the ladder. Adesanya fought four times that year and remained extremely active when he was a champion.
“When I first got in the game, you have to hit the iron while it’s hot. Strike and let everybody know who you are. Like, ‘He just fought two months ago’, or, ‘He just fought last month’. That type of sh**,” he said.
“Now, I’m at a stage where I don’t need to do that. I’ve established myself, etched my name in history, [and am] still getting better, still growing as a martial artist; now I just want to rack up bodies, rack up highlights, and rack up cash.”
This time, it’s been six months between bouts for the 35-year-old after his submission loss to reigning middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis last August, and he said that’s likely to be the sort of pace he’ll maintain for the rest of his career, having now made his mark on the sport and put together a hall-of-fame-level resume.
“That’s the blueprint that worked for me. Now, I don’t need to do that any more. I don’t need to say much. I feel different, I feel a lot more at peace. I feel like I’m just in my own lane, if that makes sense.
“I’m in my own lane. I don’t have to follow the trends or do whatever these motherf*****s are doing. I’m in my own lane and I’m doing my own thing. I like it. I’m attaining my peace.”
However, that’s not to say he doesn’t still have a few goals left to tick off the list.
“I’m going to choke someone out,” Adesanya said.
“That’s one of the things I want to do; just grab someone by the neck and just [squeeze]. That would be fun.
“There are a few other things as well. Those are more for me, but definitely I’m going to choke someone out.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.