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Israel Adesanya has played down claims that his loss to Nassourdine Imavov came via an early stoppage, after the former champion fell to a third straight defeat.
In Saudi Arabia on Saturday (1 February), Adesanya suffered a surprise knockout loss to Imavov, following a submission by Dricus Du Plessis in August and a decision defeat by Sean Strickland in 2023.
As a result, the former two-time middleweight champion is the furthest he has been from the title since his ascension in 2019. That reality will frustrate the 35-year-old and his fans, some of whom claimed Adesanya was the victim of an early stoppage on Saturday.
But Adesanya has dismissed such suggestions while watching back his fight with Imavov.
In round two, Imavov dropped Adesanya with a right hand before landing a left that snapped his opponent’s head against the fence. Imavov, 28, then poured on ground and pound, leading referee Marc Goddard to quickly step in.
Commenting on the stoppage, Adesanya said: “Fair. Fair game, fair game. F*** [...] Well, that’s how the game goes.”
Reacting to commentator Laura Sanko’s line, “One shot to kill a legend,” Adesanya quipped: “I’m still alive.” That may also ease the fears of some fans of the “Last Stylebender”, who have pondered whether he may retire after his latest loss.
While sharing the footage of himself watching back the fight, Adesanya wrote: “Rolled the dice… snake eyes. I’ll be back, gone to get some milk.”
Adesanya has now lost four of his last five fights, a shocking run for a fighter who some consider the greatest middleweight in UFC history.
The Nigerian-born New Zealander first won the 185lb title in 2019, outpointing Kelvin Gastelum to claim the interim belt before knocking out Robert Whittaker to unify the gold.
He then recorded five successful title defences before losing the belt to former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in 2022. Adesanya avenged that knockout loss – and two kickboxing defeats by Pereira – with his own stoppage win in 2023, reclaiming the gold.
Then, however, came the losses to Strickland, Du Plessis and Imavov. In 2021, Adesanya also suffered a defeat by Jan Blachowicz while challenging for the light-heavyweight title.