Israel Adesanya Explains ‘Grateful’ Comments After UFC
Israel Adesanya was not the UFC middleweight champion when he fought Nassourdine Imavov in Saudi Arabia, and no title changed hands in that bout. The fight was a non-title main event, and the UFC’s official result lists Imavov as the winner by second-round knockout at 0:30.
Adesanya spoke with ESPN after the loss about what might come next.
ESPN MMA’s post-fight interview appears above.
Imavov ends the fight in round two
Adesanya and Imavov headlined UFC Fight Night in Riyadh on February 1, 2025. Imavov stopped the former champion with a right hand and follow-up punches at 0:30 of the second round. The finish marked a significant win for Imavov against a highly accomplished opponent, while Adesanya left without the result he had sought in his return to competition.
It was Adesanya’s third consecutive defeat. Sean Strickland had beaten him by decision at UFC 293 in September 2023 to take the middleweight championship. Dricus du Plessis then submitted Adesanya in the fourth round of their UFC 305 title fight in August 2024. By the time he met Imavov, Adesanya had already lost the belt and was trying to halt that run.
What the result meant for both fighters
For Imavov, the knockout was a career-defining victory over a two-time UFC middleweight champion. He showed that he could turn a high-profile main event into a finish, and the result strengthened his position among the division’s contenders.
For Adesanya, the loss raised questions about his next step, which he discussed in the ESPN interview above.
Adesanya’s championship record remains part of the story: he held the UFC middleweight title in two separate reigns and defended it several times. But his standing in the division should not be confused with his status on fight night in Riyadh. He entered as a former champion, and the Imavov bout was not a championship contest.
