Israel Adesanya knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov in UFC Saudi Arabia main event

Israel Adesanya might have just reached a crossroads in his UFC career.

The two-time former middleweight champion was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov in the second round of his main event bout in Saudi Arabia, falling to his third loss in a row.

It was a result that told the tale of two careers: For Imavov, a 28-year-old on the rise, handing Adesanya the worst loss of his MMA career – bagging a US$50,000 bonus for his troubles – is the perfect platform from which to launch a campaign for a title shot.

For Adesanya, it poses the question of where he goes from here. It was all going well for the Last Stylebender – until the moment it wasn’t. Such is the nature of the sport.

“I thought Izzy looked incredible right up until he got caught,” UFC president Dana White said.

“He looked good, was picking him apart, staying on the outside – the takedown defence was incredible, he was chopping that calf kick the whole first round.

“He couldn’t have had a better first round. Then he got caught.”

While it was a bout between two highly ranked fighters – Adesanya coming in at No 2 and Imavov at No 5 – the loss sees Adesanya fall well and truly outside of the title picture, with Imavov and fan favourite Khamzat Chimaev, at least, in front of him.

Adesanya has often said he doesn’t care about fighting for titles, but to get back to the top would mean stringing another winning streak together, likely against opponents ranked below him.

There will be options on the table for Adesanya, who remains a drawcard for the promotion, such as the loser of next weekend’s middleweight title fight in Sydney. That bout will be contested by Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland, who both hold wins over the Nigerian-Kiwi.

Having found success in the sport and all the trappings that go with it, it might be that Adesanya decides now is the right time to step away or focus on bouts that pique his interest rather than taking on rising contenders, now 1-4 in his last five bouts.

Those questions will be asked today, but it may be some time before a definitive answer is given.

Because, for the first round, Adesanya looked in fine form, using his low kicks effectively, defending Imavov’s takedown attempts, avoiding most of what was being thrown at him and landing some good counters.

The former champion won the opening round on all three judges’ scorecards, though Imavov did show he could find a way through Adesanya’s defences in that first round as he landed a big uppercut late.

As Adesanya reached in on a jab early in the second, Imavov inadvertently poked him in the eye in trying to defend. There was a short delay as referee Marc Goddard allowed time for Adesanya to recover, but Adesanya was quick to wave the action back on.

It was less than 10 seconds later that Imavov landed an overhand right and began the finishing sequence.

Imavov caught Adesanya just after a stance switch, which sent Adesanya stumbling back against the cage. Imavov then landed an uppercut with intent which sent Adesanya to the canvas, before he swarmed as his fallen foe tried to defend.

Goddard stepped in and called a stop to the bout, which was met with a small protest by Adesanya, who then let his frustration show before walking over and congratulating Imavov.