Israel Adesanya has lost three fights in a row, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost the faith of UFC CEO Dana White.
Following the UFC Fight Night 250 main event in which Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) was finished by Nassourdine Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) punches, White praised the former UFC middleweight champion
“I thought Izzy looked incredible up until he got caught,” White told reporters at a post-fight news conference. “He looked good. He was picking him apart, staying on the outside. (His) takedown defense was incredible, chopping that calf kick the whole first round. He couldn’t have had a better first round – and then he got caught.
“… Listen, getting caught is getting caught. He’s 35. Imavov is 28. He’s in his prime. … He looked incredible. You couldn’t have fought a better first round than he did. He had (Imavov’s) face busted up. He had his leg busted up in that first round.”
Adesanya, 35, had not competed in a non-title fight since 2019 prior to Saturday’s bout vs. Imavov. He’s 1-4 in his most recent five with three stoppage losses in that stretch.
Still processing the most recent bump in the road, Adesanya was noncommittal about his fighting future during a post-fight interview on the broadcast.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.
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