What’s next for Nassourdine Imavov and Israel Adesanya after UFC Saudi Arabia?

By Cole Shelton - February 4, 2025

The UFC was in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for a solid UFC Saudi Arabia fight night card. In the main event, Israel Adesanya took on Nassourdine Imavov in a pivotal middleweight bout.

Israel Adesanya, Nassourdine Imavov

Adesanya entered the fight coming off a submission loss to Drcius Du Plessis for the middleweight title. Imavov, meanwhile, was coming off a decision win over Brendan Allen.

Ultimately, it was Imavov who scored a second-round knockout win over Adesanya. Following the event, here is what I think should be next for both men involved in the main event.

Nassourdine Imavov

Nassourdine Imavov entered UFC Saudi Arabia as the betting underdog as he was taking on the former UFC middleweight champion. Imavov was on a three-fight winning streak and in the first round, he struggled to get Adesanya down. But, in the second round, he landed a massive shot that dropped Adesanya and he finished him with strikes on the ground to get the knockout win.

Following the win, Imavov called for a title shot. But, Khamzat Chimaev is next in line to face the winner of Du Plessis-Strickland 2. With that, Imavov likely will need one more win so a fight against the loser of the title fight makes sense. He has called for the rematch with Strickland, so if he loses the storyline is there, while if Du Plessis loses, the winner of that fight would likely get a title shot.

Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya was looking to get back into the win column and prove he’s still a contender at middleweight at UFC Saudi Arabia. However, after a good first round, he was caught by a punch and knocked out by Imavov.

Following the loss, to Imavov, Adesanya’s future is up in the air. He’s 1-4 in his last fight and on a three-fight losing streak. If he decides to fight again, he should look for a fun fight. A fight that makes sense is the rematch with Paulo Costa.

It’s a fight that can headline a Fight Night card and would be a fun fight with the two both far away from a title shot.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Israel Adesanya Nassourdine Imavov UFC