UFC: Adesanya Suffers Stunning TKO Loss to Imavov

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya just couldn’t catch a break after receiving another painful loss in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on February 2, 2025.

During the main event of the UFC Fight Night, challenger Nassourdine Imavov pulled off a convincing upset after scoring a technical knockout win over Adesanya that dropped him to his third consecutive defeat in the octagon.

After losing in back-to-back affairs against Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland, Adesanya was looking to redeem himself back in the division where he previously reigned but the French slugger had other plans and put on a stand-up clinic.

However, it was the former champion who earned the nods of the judges in the first round as Adesanya’s snappy leg kicks connected at will backstopped by his quick jabs.

Too crafty and slithery, Adesanya started to gain his footing when he converted a sneaky right jab-lower leg kick combination midway through the first.

Imavov recovered late in the round when he tagged Adesanya with a right straight, but the clever veteran backpedaled away from trouble and let the official match whistle expire.

The uprising French star started to get loose in the second round after cutting Adesanya’s preferred hitting distance.

By doing this, Imavov quickly ducked in Adesanya’s perimeter and stayed close, putting him in a desirable position to throw short uppercuts and tap hooks.

Adesanya’s nightmare then came with only 30 seconds into the round after Imavov timed a calculated vicious right hand that floored him to the canvas.

Imavov then rushed to Adesanya and followed it up with a thunderous left uppercut and a series of ground-and-pound punches that officially sealed his victory.

“I proved I was the better striker. Now the real bonus for me is going to be to fight for the belt. I promised you a special surprise tonight. That was the surprise,” said Imavov after the huge win.

For Adesanya, it is still unknown if he will be returning immediately in the octagon, as his shot for the championship belt evaporated in an instant.