Russian fighter Nassourdine Imavov shocked MMA fans after delivering a spectacular performance at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Naasourdine Imavov was matched up with Nigerian fighter and former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, but he pulled off an impressive show by defeating Adesanya via TKO. Adesanya came into the opening round blasting shot after shot followed by punishing kicks, but Imavov endured all this while seeking an opening in his opponent’s defenses. Imavov came through with an uppercut, but Adesanya retaliated with a knee. The two continued to test each other’s defenses before Imavov found another opening and landed another uppercut. He went in for a takedown, but Adesanya evaded them and went in for a clinch and a jab before the round came to a close.
“The Last Style bender came in with more kicks in the second round, but Imavov bids his time before landing a savage right that dropped Adesanya. “The Sniper” proceeded to pummel Adesanya with a ground and pound before a referee stoppage ended the fight.
The win was quite surprising to many, including Adesanya, who said he wasn’t going to give the upstart any leverage over him. Unfortunately, it seems the former champ has been bested once again and will have to take a step back. Adesanya said he was disappointed with the stoppage and would have liked to battle it out with the Imavov for a longer time. Speaking at the UFC post-fight conference, Adesanya revealed what his next step is moving forward and how he plans on recovering from the loss.
“Disappointed,” Adesanya said about his performance during the UFC post-fight show. “I hate disappointing my fans and my team. My team’s still proud of me for the work that I put into this. It’s just the thrill and agony.”
“I don’t think it’s for them to know,” Adesanya said. “You have to really be in it to know. Only a privileged few will ever get to this point and understand.
“To be able to feel something so great but also able to feel something so deep and so [frustrating]. It’s a f*cking lovely game, but it’s a stupid game at the same time.”
“He must be excited to beat a guy like me,” Adesanya said. “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.”
“I don’t know [what’s next],” Adesanya said. “I have to chill and then think about things. I’ll relax for a little bit. Just help the teammates who have fights coming up and see what I want to do. I was going to do that anyway, but now I’m forced to. Shout out to Nassourdine for that.”
As for Imavov, the Russian is excited about his new win and is prepared for a title shot.
“I feel so good,” Imavov said after the win. “I said it all week long, I was in perfect shape. And I proved I was the better striker. Now the real bonus for me is going to be fighting for the belt. I promised you a special surprise tonight. That was the surprise.”
“I cleaned the weight class in one year,” Imavov said. “Four fights, two wins against top ten competition, two finishes against top five competition. Next is the belt.”
This recent loss is Adesanya’s third consecutive loss, and many believe it may become impossible for the fighter to ever get a chance at the title. The championship title has been out of Adesanya’s hand since he lost it to Sean Strickland at UFC 297. He got a chance to regain it when he faced current middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis, but he lost this match. Adesanya has said he isn’t bothered about getting the title back and has bigger plans for himself. Fans and MMA lovers, on the otherhand believe this may be the best time for Adesanya to take a step back, but the question is when will he ever compete again?
Imavov is on his way to UFC gold with his win over Adesanya. His current MMA record, 16-4 has improved his chances at a title shot as he is currently ranked #5 in UFC middleweight. Many believe the rightful contender for the title is Khamzat Chimaev, but with Imavov’s latest win, it is undecided who will get a shot.
