Nassourdine Imavov took Israel Adesanya’s spot in the contender line by force.
No judges were needed for Saturday’s UFC Saudi Arabia main event as Imavov scored a shocking second-round knockout of the two-time middleweight champion to cap off the evening. After a competitive opening round, Imavov caught Adesanya early in the second and didn’t hesitate as he swarmed with punches to put Adesanya down and force a stoppage.
It was the fourth straight win for Imavov, who likely claims a top-5 ranking at 185 pounds and is one big step closer to fighting for a UFC title. As for Adesanya, this is the third straight loss for “The Last Stylebender” and his fourth in his past five outings.
The win drew a variety of reactions from social media, with Angela Hill criticizing referee Marc Goddard’s decision to call the fight, writing, “Booo that stoppage!” However, others were simply in awe of Imavov’s performance and stunned by Adesanya’s disappointing defeat.
See more social media reactions from fighters below.
Ugh hate to see Izzy lose back to back
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) February 1, 2025
Imavov only 29 is crazy bruh the sky’s the limit Izzy will be back
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) February 1, 2025
Maaan Imavov’s right hand is nice! What a performance. Bummed for Izzy for sure. What a legend! #UFCSaudiArabia
— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) February 1, 2025
Dang was rly pulling for Izzy… sport can be brutal
— Billy Quarantillo (@BillyQMMA) February 1, 2025
Massive win for Imavov.. needed to make a statement against a name like Izzy, and he did just that.
It’s definitely a performance that puts him right there in terms of title talks.. #UFCSaudiArabia
— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) February 1, 2025
Leading up to this fight, I saw EVERYBODY posting about how Imavov would be no match for Izzy… This is the fight game. It doesn’t always matter who’s technically better..
It matters who’s gonna be better in the fight… Imavo was better when it mattered. #UFCSaudiArabia
— Corey ‘Overtime’ Anderson (@CoreyA_MMA) February 1, 2025
