UFC Saudi Arabia went down inside ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this past weekend (Sat., Feb. 1, 2025) on ESPN+, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Mayra Bueno Silva, who dropped her third straight loss after coming up short against Jasmine Jasudavicius.
And Shara Magomedov, who suffered the first loss of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career at the hands of former Bellator MMA standout, Michael Page. And let’s not forget about Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who was out-classed by Sergei Pavlovich.
But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Coming into the event, “The Last Stylebender” was riding a two-fight losing streak, having lost three of his last four, which were all title fights. In fact, his bout against Imavov was his first non-championship fight in six years.
Things started off fairly competitive in the first five minutes, with Adesanya using his wide stance and tight striking to score some points … maybe even win the first round. Early in round two, however, things went downhill in the blink of an eye. Speaking of eyes, once the round started, Adesanya complained of an eye poke, which momentarily halted the action. After waving off the referee (vis-a-vis Alex Pereira) the action resumed.
But, things didn’t work out like they did for “Poatan.”
Seconds later, Imavov smashed Adesanya’s temple with an overhand right that dropped him. From there, he pounced on the fallen former champion and unloaded a barrage of strikes that left the referee no choice but to call it (watch highlights), much to the chagrin of “The Last Stylebender.”
After the loss, Adesanya pondered his future fight plans, prompting many to believe he will be out awhile (again) to figure out his next move.
“I hate disappointing my fans, my team – my team feels proud of me because of the work I put into this. It’s just the thrill and agony,” he said post-fight. “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,” Adesanya concluded. “I was going to do that anyway, but you know, now I’m forced to. Shoutout to Nassourdine for that.”
It’s a drastic downfall for Adesanya, but it’s something that we have seen time and time again. Chuck Liddell, Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski have all gone through it, just to name a few, and now Adesanya is the latest former champion to endure a losing streak after enjoying life at the top for an extended period.
According to another former champion, Michael Bisping, his time at the top is done for good.
“The biggest takeaway is that it’s over,” Bisping said during the post-fight show. “Israel Adesanya’s reign as champion, I don’t think will come again. I say that with the greatest of respect and I truly mean that. An original. An incredible fighter. A legend of the sport. A future Hall of Famer. But his time at the top is done.”
That’s a prediction that remains to be seen since Adesanya is still just 35 years old.
That said, it seems he has significant work to do if he wants to return to the glory days where he went an impressive 20-0 to start his MMA career, which includes nine straights wins to kickoff his UFC career while capturing gold in just his sixth UFC fight.
That’s a legacy worth protecting.
For complete UFC Saudi Arabia results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
