Israel Adesanya News

Josh Evanoff - February 18, 2025

UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier wants a rematch with Israel Adesanya. The ‘Killa Gorilla’ is fresh off his return to the cage in the main event of UFC Vegas 102 on Saturday. Back for the first time since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Caio Borralho in August, Jared Cannonier met another rising Brazilian in the form of Gregory Rodrigues. ‘Robocop’ entered the bout riding a three-fight winning streak, last beating Christian Leroy Duncan last July.

Harry Kettle - February 12, 2025

UFC legend Israel Adesanya has explained why he’s now able to be friends with the likes of Alex Pereira and Robert Whittaker. As we know, Israel Adesanya is easily one of the best middleweights of all time. In many ways, he’s one of the most notable fighters to have ever competed in the UFC – and perhaps mixed martial arts as a whole. Nowadays, however, he’s going through a rough patch in the cage, and that much is an understatement.

Harry Kettle - February 11, 2025

UFC star Israel Adesanya recently ran into referee Marc Goddard and discussed two of the stoppages from his fights by the Birmingham native. As we know, Israel Adesanya was stopped with strikes by Nassourdine Imavov last weekend at UFC Saudi Arabia. He’s been stopped on the feet before in the UFC, by Alex Pereira, in what served as their first meeting in mixed martial arts – and third overall.

Josh Evanoff - February 10, 2025

UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira wants to train with Israel Adesanya. The rivalry between the two kickboxer-turned-MMA fighters is one for the ages. The Brazilian famously won their two fights in the kickboxing ring, scoring a controversial decision win in the first, before flatting Israel Adesanya in the second. While Alex Pereira knocked out ‘The Last Stylebender’ to win UFC gold in 2022, the former champion avenged that defeat the following April.

Harry Kettle - February 6, 2025

Kamaru Usman has provided his friend Israel Adesanya with some advice following his defeat at UFC Saudi Arabia last weekend. In case you missed it, Israel Adesanya suffered a devastating defeat at UFC Saudi Arabia last Saturday night. He was defeated by Nassourdine Imavov, and on top of that, he was finished. It came early in the second round after what proved to be a competitive first round between the two middleweight contenders.

Josh Evanoff - February 5, 2025

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has reacted to Israel Adesanya’s recent loss. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is fresh off his return to the octagon in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia over the weekend. Back for the first time since a submission loss to Dricus du Plessis last fall, Israel Adesanya faced Nassourdine Imavov. ‘The Sniper’ entered the bout riding a three-fight winning streak, last scoring a decision win over Brendan Allen in September.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 4, 2025

Reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has named the one fight that had him more nervous than any other bout in his career. Du Plessis worked his way up to the top of the mountain, defeating the likes of Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya. There was no easy path for “Stillknocks,” but he has emerged as a UFC champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 4, 2025

Sean Strickland has shown respect to Israel Adesanya following “The Last Stylebender’s” third straight loss. The kind words may come as a surprise to fans given that Strickland and Adesanya had a war of words leading up to their September 2023 clash. Strickland won that bout and the UFC Middleweight Championship, which started Adesanya’s slide. The former two-time UFC middleweight champion was then submitted by Dricus du Plessis, and more recently suffered a TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov.

Cole Shelton - February 3, 2025

Michael Bisping believes Israel Adesanya is no longer a true contender at middleweight. Adesanya suffered a second-round knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. It was his third straight loss and he’s now 1-4 in his last fight. Although Adesanya won the first round, Bisping believes the loss proves ‘The Last Stylebender’ is not a contender anymore.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 3, 2025

Israel Adesanya’s striking coach has explained what went wrong during “The Last Stylebender’s” fight against Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya and Imavov headlined UFC Saudi Arabia inside the anb Arena this past Saturday. Adesanya got off to a good start, utilizing his takedown defense and showcasing effective striking. Things went awry in a hurry during the second stanza, however. After being accidentally poked in the eye, Adesanya declined time to recover. Shortly after, he was leveled with a right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 2, 2025

Darren Till has taken issue with fans who have poked fun at Israel Adesanya suffering his third straight defeat. Adesanya went one-on-one with Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Saudi Arabia headliner. “The Last Stylebender” was hoping that this would be a bounce back fight for him. He had already dropped back-to-back bouts against Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 2, 2025

UFC CEO Dana White has given his take on Israel Adesanya suffering his third loss in a row. The former two-time UFC middleweight champion shared the Octagon with Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. It was the first time Adesanya wasn’t competing for UFC gold since 2019. While Adesanya had solid takedown defense and striking in the opening frame, he was stopped early in the second round via TKO.

Chris Taylor - February 1, 2025

Israel Adesanya has issued a statement after suffering his third consecutive loss at the hands of Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. Adesanya (24-5 MMA) was returning to action this afternoon for the first time since suffering a submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA) this past August at UFC 305. The former UFC middleweight champion was looking to avoid the first three-fight losing skid of his career, as he had dropped a decision to Sean Strickland prior to being tapped out by ‘DDP’.

Chris Taylor - February 1, 2025

Today’s UFC Saudi Arabia event was headlined by a middleweight contest featuring Nassourdine Imavov taking on Israel Adesanya. Adesanya (24-5 MMA) had entered the contest with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. The former UFC middleweight champion was coming off losses to Dricus Du Plessis (submission) and Sean Strickland (decision) in his most previous Octagon appearances.

Chris Taylor - February 1, 2025

We have you covered for all of today’s UFC Saudi Arabia results, including the main event between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya (24-4 MMA) will enter the contest with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. The former UFC middleweight champion is coming off losses to Dricus Du Plessis (submission) and Sean Strickland (decision) in his most recent Octagon appearances. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has gone 2-3 over his past five fights overall, earning wins over Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier during that stretch.

Chris Taylor - February 1, 2025

The Octagon returns to Riyadh for today’s UFC Saudi Arabia event, an 11-bout fight card headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya (24-4 MMA) will enter the contest with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. The former UFC middleweight champion is coming off losses to Dricus Du Plessis (submission) and Sean Strickland (decision) in his most recent Octagon appearances. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has gone 2-3 over his past five fights overall, earning wins over Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier during that stretch.

Harry Kettle - January 30, 2025

Former UFC star Francis Ngannou has wished Israel Adesanya the best ahead of his return to the cage on Saturday. This weekend, Israel Adesanya will make his return to the cage. He’ll do so by taking on Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. For ‘Stylebender’, this serves as a real opportunity for him to prove that he can still mix it up with the best middleweights in the world. On the flip side, Nassourdine Imavov has an opportunity to make a name for himself against a former two-time world champion.

Cole Shelton - January 29, 2025

In the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, a pivotal middleweight bout goes down as Israel Adesanya takes on Nassourdine Imavov. Heading into the fight, Adesanya is a -164 favorite while the Frenchman is a +128 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the middleweight fight. Ultimately, the pros believe Adesanya will get a win over Imavov, as most of the fighters interviewed believe Izzy’s striking will be the difference. They also believe the former champ’s cardio over five rounds will help him edge out a win.