Israel Adesanya
The Last Stylebender
Nigeria
Scheduled against Pyfer
Adesanya will fight Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle on March 28, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Adesanya has dropped each of his last three fights and four of his last five. Desperate for a win, he'll look to use his five-inch reach advantage to help him right the ship against Pyfer, who is currently enjoying a three-fight winning streak.
Adesanya has dropped each of his last three fights and four of his last five. Desperate for a win, he'll look to use his five-inch reach advantage to help him right the ship against Pyfer, who is currently enjoying a three-fight winning streak.
Fight Log
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Suffers third straight defeat
Adesanya lost to Nassourdine Imavov via KO (punches) at 0:30 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
ANALYSIS
It's a truly career-altering defeat for Adesanya, who was competing in his first non-title fight since February 2019. He defeated the legendary Anderson Silva that evening. Izzy won Round 1 on all three scorecards despite the fact he absorbed a handful of big shots. He absorbed an eye poke early in Round 2 but told referee Marc Goddard he was going to continue right away. Moments later, Imavov unleashed a flurry that ended the fight. Looking back on it, Adesanya probably should have taken some time to recover from the foul, but it is anyone's guess if it played a part in the end result. Set to turn 36 years of age this coming July and the loser of three in a row and four of his last five, there's no easy solution here for either the fighter or the UFC.
It's a truly career-altering defeat for Adesanya, who was competing in his first non-title fight since February 2019. He defeated the legendary Anderson Silva that evening. Izzy won Round 1 on all three scorecards despite the fact he absorbed a handful of big shots. He absorbed an eye poke early in Round 2 but told referee Marc Goddard he was going to continue right away. Moments later, Imavov unleashed a flurry that ended the fight. Looking back on it, Adesanya probably should have taken some time to recover from the foul, but it is anyone's guess if it played a part in the end result. Set to turn 36 years of age this coming July and the loser of three in a row and four of his last five, there's no easy solution here for either the fighter or the UFC.
Imavov up next
Adesanya will fight Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Adesanya lost his only fight of 2024 to Dricus Du Plessis in August, giving the former losses in three of his last four fights. While momentum won't be on his side in February, having a five-inch reach advantage over Imavov could help Adesanya get back in the win column.
Adesanya lost his only fight of 2024 to Dricus Du Plessis in August, giving the former losses in three of his last four fights. While momentum won't be on his side in February, having a five-inch reach advantage over Imavov could help Adesanya get back in the win column.
Comes up short in title quest
Adesanya came up short in his quest to regain the UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday, losing to Dricus Du Plessis via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:38 of Round 4 at UFC 205 in Perth, Australia.
ANALYSIS
Fighting for the first time since last September when he dropped his belt to Sean Strickland, Adesanya looked sharp and fully refreshed. Until he wasn't. Izzy predictably struggled with the wrestling game of du Plessis, but as usual, he did a nice job of working his way back to his feet. Both men made serious headway on the feet, but Adesanya appeared to be gaining momentum late in Round 4. Then he got clipped with a few blows along the fence, gave up an easy takedown and was tapping out moments later. Having turned 35 years of age in late-July, each of Izzy's last dozen UFC bouts have been for a title. It's a truly insane statistic. He's just 1-3 in his last four fights dating back to November 2022, but those three defeats came against du Plessis, Strickland and Alex Pereira. In other words, the best of the best. Izzy said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier that he has zero plans of stepping aside. It appears "The Last Stylebender" will be back at some point, but it's anyone's guess when and against whom.
Fighting for the first time since last September when he dropped his belt to Sean Strickland, Adesanya looked sharp and fully refreshed. Until he wasn't. Izzy predictably struggled with the wrestling game of du Plessis, but as usual, he did a nice job of working his way back to his feet. Both men made serious headway on the feet, but Adesanya appeared to be gaining momentum late in Round 4. Then he got clipped with a few blows along the fence, gave up an easy takedown and was tapping out moments later. Having turned 35 years of age in late-July, each of Izzy's last dozen UFC bouts have been for a title. It's a truly insane statistic. He's just 1-3 in his last four fights dating back to November 2022, but those three defeats came against du Plessis, Strickland and Alex Pereira. In other words, the best of the best. Izzy said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier that he has zero plans of stepping aside. It appears "The Last Stylebender" will be back at some point, but it's anyone's guess when and against whom.
Championship challenger for UFC 305
Adesanya is scheduled to challenge Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 305 in Perth on Aug. 18, per Adesanya's announcement Monday.
ANALYSIS
Just over eight months after announcing a hiatus, Adesanya is ready to fight again and will have an immediate opportunity for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Strickland is no longer champion after he himself lost the title to du Plessis, who was expected to be Adesanya's initial opponent for UFC 293. Even with an upset loss to Strickland, Adesanya has the striking profile and resume to be considered a favorite against DDP. However, du Plessis' rise has been meteoric, with his 7-0 UFC run also including TKO finishes to Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker, just like Adesanya.
Just over eight months after announcing a hiatus, Adesanya is ready to fight again and will have an immediate opportunity for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Strickland is no longer champion after he himself lost the title to du Plessis, who was expected to be Adesanya's initial opponent for UFC 293. Even with an upset loss to Strickland, Adesanya has the striking profile and resume to be considered a favorite against DDP. However, du Plessis' rise has been meteoric, with his 7-0 UFC run also including TKO finishes to Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker, just like Adesanya.
Taking hiatus
Adesanya recently said on "The Rock" podcast that he's "not going to fight for a long time" following his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September, Mike Bohn of USA ToDay reports.
ANALYSIS
Strickland won the UFC Middleweight Championship in that bout, which Adesanya's second loss in his past three fights. Adesanya has been busy either defending or attempting to retake that title over the past few years, and he'll step away from the Octagon for a bit. He also said he's "definitely not going to retire," though it's unclear how long it will be before he returns to action.
Strickland won the UFC Middleweight Championship in that bout, which Adesanya's second loss in his past three fights. Adesanya has been busy either defending or attempting to retake that title over the past few years, and he'll step away from the Octagon for a bit. He also said he's "definitely not going to retire," though it's unclear how long it will be before he returns to action.