Israel Adesanya finds himself in a tough spot in the middleweight division after suffering a shocking knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia.
The former two-time middleweight champion entered the bout under immense pressure, having dropped back-to-back fights to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.
Despite being the favourite, Adesanya couldn’t halt his skid as Imavov, a Dagestani-born Frenchman, delivered the most significant win of his career with a stunning second-round knockout.
Adesanya began the fight light on his feet, using a series of hard low kicks to attack Imavov’s lead leg.
However, the relentless Imavov wasn’t phased, continuing to press forward. He eventually closed the distance and landed a powerful shovel hook that snapped Adesanya’s head back.
With just over a minute left in the round, Adesanya took a heavy right hand but managed to stay on his feet.
Unfortunately for the former champion, he wasn’t able to recover in time.
Moments later, Imavov landed another right hand, this one sending Adesanya crashing to the canvas.
Imavov wasted no time following up with a massive left uppercut and a flurry of ground-and-pound.
Referee Marc Goddard stepped in, halting the fight and declaring Imavov the winner.
The AnB Arena crowd, including global football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, was left in stunned silence by the shocking finish.
Adesanya stood in disbelief, visibly shaken as the weight of the knockout began to set in.
