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In the biggest fight of his life, Nassourdine Imavov has come through — and he’s called his shot for a crack at gold.
Even in a fight where many were picking against him, Imavov performed in a big way, stunning the world with a second-round stoppage of former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia.
Adesanya took complete control of the opening round, showing flashes of his vintage self with the way he was striking and defending his French counterpart’s takedown.
Imavov, however, massively turned things around just seconds into the second round. “The Sniper” rocked Adesanya with a right hand, putting him against the fence and to the ground. There, the 29-year-old dropped several seconds of harsh ground-and-pound until the fight was halted 30 seconds into the second round.
Nassourdine Imavov Pulls Off Stunning Knockout Of Israel Adesanya At UFC Saudi Arabia
Just wow @imavov1 my congratulations
what a performance
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) February 1, 2025
NASSOURDINE IMAVOV
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#UFCSaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/tpHsW4tRAk
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) February 1, 2025
Imavov is now unbeaten in his last five and has won four straight, previously defeating the likes of Brendan Allen, Jared Cannonier, and Roman Dolidze.
Adesanya, meanwhile, has now lost three straight. This was his first non-title fight since 2019, coming into this fight off back-to-back middleweight title fight losses against Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.
