Nassourdine Imavov beats Israel Adesanya – UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia

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UFC commentator Laura Sanko said that Imavov is desperate for a rematch against Sean Strickland, after the US fighter beat him by unanimous decision in January 2023.

“He really wants that rematch with Strickland. That was a fight where he was not himself, up a weight class, weird circumstances,” she said.

“He wants to go out there and right that wrong. The storyline is writing itself, if that is what ends up happening – obviously, a lot has to play out before that happens.”

UFC colour commentator and former UFC fighter Paul Felder heaped praise on Imavov after his win.

“I loved all of that. The way he is giving a shout out to his family his friends his team … especially since he made that decision to make those changes in his career and move in with those guys and make sure that the people around him were the close ones and doing the right things by him. It’s paying off so massively for him.” he said.

“Based on that performance, give that man a title shot. Hands down. I know there will be crazy people out there saying no. But if you do that to Israel, then give him the shot – he’s next.

“Based on how active that man can be and how consistent this man can be in the Octagon, if he gets hold of that belt, he will defend that belt and I think there’s no doubt about it.”

• Nassourdine Imavov beat Israel Adesanya via TKO (punches) at 0:30 of round two
• Michael Page beat Shara Magomedov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Sergei Pavlovich beat Jairzinho Rozenstruik via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Vinicius Oliveira beat Said Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Fares Ziam beat Mike Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Imavov has made a huge statement and underlined his credentials as a title contender with his win over the UFC legend Adesanya tonight.

Both fighters had success in the first round, with Adesanya slightly the busier.

But Imavov looked completely patient and at ease in there, and he landed the biggest punch of the round – a big right uppercut that rocked Adesanya’s head back.

It looked like we were in store for more in the second round, but Imavov ended the fight abruptly with speed and guile by finding Adesanya’s chin with a devastating right hand over the top.

Imavov looks like the real deal and well worth a tilt at the middleweight title.

It will be a crushing defeat for Adesanya, who came into the fight in high spirits and looked sharp in the opening exchanges, until his evening took a sudden turn.

Dricus Du Plessis defends his middleweight belt against Sean Strickland in a rematch next week and Imavov was asked to send a message to them.

“There’s no doubt I’m worth the title fight – four victories in one year, it speaks for itself.”

He leaves the octagon and it doesn’t look like we’ll be hearing from Adesanya.

Imavov throws a jab, but it’s a decoy for a big overhand right that lands flush on Adesanya’s chin!

The Frenchman follows up with an uppercut as Adesanya falls backwards and covers up on the ground.

Imavov is all over him, raining punches down on him and the referee stops the fight. Adesanya is unhappy with that stoppage, but he was getting wailed on.

“I feel so good, I said all week long I was in perfect shape. I proved it that I’m the better striker tonight, now it’s time for me to fight for the belt,” Imavov says through a translator.

“I promised you a surprise and that was it.”

He pays tribute to his family, friends and coaching staff.

“Surround yourself by people who love you and that you love and you’ll grow up this way,” he said.

And we’re off – this fight is scheduled for five five-minute rounds.

Adesanya gets straight to work with some kicks to the body. He lands a powerful left on Imavov’s leg and then looks for a kick to the head, but the Frenchman blocks.

Imavov shoots for a takedown, but it’s well defended by Adesanya, who rag-dolls Imavov to the ground, although he springs right back up.

Adesanya is looking busy, switching stances and firing off a stiff jab and a range of kicks.

The Frenchman tries to push Adesanya back – with a minute to go he feints with the left and goes straight through the middle with a beautiful right shovel uppercut, catching Adesanya flush on the chin and rocking his head back.

Adesanya returns with a nice right hook as he backs onto the fence. They clinch before Adesanya breaks free.

• Nationality: French
• Age: 29
• Height: 6′ 3″ (1.9m)
• Reach: 75″ (1.91m)
• Total fights: 20
• Record: 15-4-1

• Nationality: New Zealand
• Age: 35
• Height: 6′ 4″ (1.93 metres)
• Reach: 80″ (2 metres)
• Total fights: 28
• Record: 24-4-0

He looked typically steely on his cagewalk.

While Imavov has been looking confident all week, so has Adesanya – his team have stressed that they have been seeing the best of him in training.

He’s surely destined for the hall of fame, now he wants to prove that he still belongs in the middleweight elite and perhaps mount another title run.

The Frenchman has made his cagewalk first and has entered the octagon to await the arrival of Adesanya.

Imavov is unbeaten in his past four fighters inside the Octagon, and his lone loss in his past eight fights was in a short-notice light heavyweight bout against Strickland.

This is a critical bout for both fighters in their effort to position themselves for a crack at the title, with Du Plessis putting his title on the line against Strickland in Sydney next week.

Imavov is looking for his fourth win in a calendar year, which he hopes would push him past Khamzat Chimaev as the number one contender.

“I think [Adesanya is] going to come very focused, very hungry,” Imavov told reporters ahead of the fight through an interpreter.

“Even though I don’t focus too much on him, I focus more on myself, what I’m going to do, the shape I’m going to be in the fight, and I hope he’s going to be in the best shape so I can beat the best Israel Adesanya.”

• Israel Adesanya is one of 14 UFC fighters in history to win an undisputed title with an undefeated record.
• Of the 14 undisputed middleweight champions in UFC history, he’s the only one to have two separate championship title reigns.
• Adesanya’s eight victories in UFC middleweight title fights are second-most in history behind Anderson Silva, who has 11.
• The New Zealander’s four knockdowns he landed against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 in April 2019 are the single-fight record for a UFC title bout.

This is the first time Adesanya has fought in a non-title bout since UFC 234 nearly six years ago, but that’s the position the 35-year-old finds himself as he attempts to rebound from losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.

“Just because there’s not a belt on the line, I don’t want to diminish this fight like it’s not important,” Adesanya said this week, per MMAJunkie.com. “This is still an important fight for me. Again, I’m saying I’m doing this for myself. I’m kind of being selfish.

“Like, I fight for myself, I fight for my team, my family, and my real fans, but this one I’m putting myself first. I’m trying to do this one for myself, so it’s really important to me.”

The main event features the ex-kickboxer Adesanya, who is known for his fluid movement, stance switching, and razor-sharp striking style that relies more on speed and accuracy than power.

He often uses kicks and kick-feints to set up attacks. He’s tall and gangly for a middleweight at 6′ 4″ (193cm) and usually enjoys a reach advantage, helping keep his opponents at range.

But at the age of 35, and with his recent losses, there is the sense that Adesanya is slowing and has lost some durability. He’s struggled recently with boxing-heavy fighters that can walk him down and hurt him on the inside.

Imavov is a well-rounded fighter than can mix up striking with accomplished grappling, and may try to use his wrestling and jiu-jitsu advantages.

But he could also cause Adesanya problems on the feet, jabbing and probing from distance effectively until he can find an opening to move in and land harder shots. But he’s unlikely to throw the volume of punches that fighters such as Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis used to such good effect in their recent victories over Adesanya.