France’s Nassourdine Imavov delivered a shocking upset on Saturday night, defeating Israel Adesanya via a second-round technical knockout in their highly anticipated UFC middleweight bout at the ANB Arena.
The victory marks a pivotal moment for the 28-year-old French fighter, who overwhelmed the former champion and handed Adesanya his third consecutive loss in the UFC. This also marked the 35-year-old Nigerian-New Zealander’s fifth career loss in the promotion.
The non-title fight saw Adesanya return to the octagon after back-to-back defeats to Sean Strickland in 2023 and Dricus du Plessis of South Africa in August 2024. Despite the loss, Adesanya’s camp had claimed he was better prepared for this fight than the previous two.
The first round showcased a focused and determined Adesanya, who seemed to have left his trademark showmanship behind. He responded effectively to Imavov’s takedown attempts with well-timed counters.
Towards the end of the round, Imavov connected with a strong uppercut that rocked Adesanya, but the former champion quickly countered with a precise right hook just before the buzzer sounded.
The second round began with Adesanya appearing to control the pace of the fight, using his experience to keep Imavov at bay. However, the tide turned abruptly when Imavov used a jab as a decoy, exposing Adesanya to a powerful overhand right that landed squarely on his jaw.
The punch sent Adesanya sprawling onto the canvas, and Imavov capitalized with a relentless barrage of punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
