Nigeria-New Zealand boxer Israel Adesanya has suffered his third consecutive defeat and his fourth loss in his last five fights after falling to Nassourdine Imavov on Saturday, February 1, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The former UFC middleweight champion, born in Lagos, was defeated in the second round by a precise strike from Imavov.
After dropping Adesanya, Imavov swiftly followed up with ground-and-pound, securing the finish while his opponent was defenseless. Although Adesanya appeared frustrated with the referee’s decision to stop the fight, the call was inevitable, as allowing it to continue could have resulted in him being rendered unconscious.
When interviewed after the match, Adesanya said he would take some time to relax before considering his future:
“I have to chill and then think about things. I will relax first for a little bit, just help the teammates who have fights coming up, and yeah, see what I want to do. I was going to do that anyway, but you know, now I’m forced to. Shoutout to Nassourdine for that.”
Adesanya further expressed his frustration after the loss but asserted that his team still stood by him despite the defeat:
“I hate disappointing my fans and my team,” he said. “My team’s still proud of me for the work that I put into this. It’s just the thrill and agony.”
He continued:
“To be able to feel something so great but also something so deep and so [frustrating]… It’s a f****** lovely game, but it’s a stupid game at the same time.
“He must be excited to beat a guy like me. But again, I felt good. Round one, I was in control of everything. In hindsight, maybe I should have taken some time. I just didn’t want him to rest because I knew he was tired. I didn’t want him to rest. But again, [hindsight is] 20/20.”
