It wasn’t what Israel Adesanya envisioned as he prepared to regain momentum in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.
The former middleweight champion suffered his third consecutive defeat in the UFC Saudi Arabia headliner, falling to Nassourdine Imavov via second-round technical knockout on Saturday at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While “The Last Stylebender” appeared poised to return to form against a rising contender, it wasn’t meant to be.
“Disappointed,” Adesanya said on the ESPN post-fight show. “I hate disappointing my fans and my team. My team’s still proud of me for the work that I put into this.