Israel Adesanya’s latest fight ended in a way few expected, with a stunning knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. While the defeat shocked many, his striking coach, Mike Angove, believes a crucial mistake cost him the fight.
The Costly Decision That Led to the Knockout
Imavov wasted no time pressing forward, and the fight took a turn early in the second round when Adesanya was caught by an eye poke. Instead of using the timeout to reset, he chose to keep going. That decision proved costly.
“Izzy got poked in the eye. There was a break. Izzy didn’t want to take the break – was just keen on getting on with it. But in doing that, he didn’t reset as you normally would and create some space,” Angove explained.
Before Adesanya could fully regain his rhythm, Imavov capitalized with a perfectly timed right hand. “It was right on the button, and then he followed up with a left hook against the cage and the referee came and stopped it,” Angove added.
Nassourdine Imavov knocks out Israel Adesanya at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia.
pic.twitter.com/ge5SKo79U0— No Jumper (@nojumper) February 1, 2025
Imavov’s Team Saw the Opening
The loss adds to Adesanya’s recent struggles. After dropping the middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 297, he fell short again in a bid to reclaim it against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. Now, with another setback, questions arise about what’s next for “The Last Stylebender.”
Angove gave credit to Imavov and his team for recognizing the opportunity.
“The name of the game, particularly in small gloves: You can’t make mistakes,” he said. “We made a mistake. Nassourdine, I would say, with his team, recognized when we made that mistake and they jumped on it – which means they have to have planned. So you’ve got to congratulate them for that.”
He also pointed out how quickly Imavov acted. “That means you’re still in the firing zone, and then you want him to keep the pressure on. It’s just one of those things. It just happens. He felt he was doing well in the fight and wanted to keep that pressure on, and Nassourdine caught him switching – beautiful right hand that resonated around the stadium and he couldn’t recover from that.”
For Adesanya, it’s another tough moment in his storied career, but if history has shown anything, it’s that he knows how to bounce back.
