Israel Adesanya suffered another tough loss in the middleweight division after Nassourdine Imavov knocked him out in the second round at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia.
The former two-time middleweight champion came into the fight under pressure, having lost his last two bouts to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.
Many expected him to bounce back, but Imavov shocked the crowd with a dominant performance.
Adesanya started strong, using hard low kicks to weaken Imavov’s lead leg. However, Imavov kept moving forward and eventually closed the distance. He landed a strong shovel hook that rocked Adesanya.
With a minute and a half left in the round, Adesanya took a heavy right hand but managed to stay on his feet. However, he could not recover in time before Imavov landed another powerful right hand, sending him crashing to the canvas.
Imavov quickly followed up with a big left uppercut and several ground strikes before referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight. The crowd at AnB Arena, which included football star Cristiano Ronaldo, was stunned by the unexpected knockout.
Adesanya stood in shock as he processed the loss, marking another setback in his UFC career.
