Israel Adesanya has to halt the bleeding at UFC Saudi Arabia.
“Stylebender” has been on the UFC roster now for seven years, even if it feels like much longer. The decorated professional kickboxer brought more than just his skill and experience into the Octagon with him when he joined the ranks in 2018: he brought his kickboxing schedule. He’s fought 17 times in that span, which on its own doesn’t sound like that absurd of a number.
The details make it exceptional, however. 13 of those bouts were title fights, and one more (his third UFC fight!) was a 25-minute main event versus Brad Tavares. Specifically, his last 13 fights saw Adesanya fighting either as champion or challenger, competing with UFC gold on the line.
From 2019-2023, Adesanya really carried the promotion. He headlined quite a few pay-per-view (PPV) events and fought elite competition for a long time — literally, a lot of rounds and a lot of minutes. He was one of UFC’s most consistent stars, and it clearly took quite a bit out of him. Between the knockout loss and general stress, his pair of MMA fights versus career rival Alex Pereira surely aged him as well, and that’s not even considering the 80 professional kickboxing bouts before all of this.
Burnout was expected to some degree. His performance against Sean Strickland wasn’t terribly surprising in that regard. Credit to Strickland for doing his part and following the game plan, but it’s hard to argue that Adesanya looked anything other than flat the evening he lost his title (seemingly for good).
As for Adesanya’s return almost exactly a year later versus Dricus Du Plessis? The time off clearly did Adesanya good. He may not have beaten “Stillknocks,” but he still looked rejuvenated. A 30-year-old “Stylebender” probably capitalizes more often on counters and doesn’t get finished late, but still, it was a respectable rebound performance considering the previous showing.
Six months later, Adesanya is back in yet another five-round main event, though there’s no belt on the line. At 35 years of age, he faces an experienced and skilled foe six years his junior. Nassourdine Imavov is a talented kickboxer and wrestler with plenty of five-round experience himself, and he appears primed to be a contender for years to come.
It’s a difficult opponent for most any Middleweight, but the pressure is really on Adesanya to return to the win column here. He’s never lost three straight in any combat sport. To do so now after losing his title would effectively remove him from the Top Five, from title contention, and — to some extent — from high-profile match ups.
He risks falling from upper echelon nearly as fast as he rose to the top.
Victory, conversely, keeps Adesanya in position to accept big fights. The Strickland rematch is an obvious booking and could happen next if he fails to score revenge on Du Plessis. A return to Light Heavyweight could be in order. Finally, there are a handful of exciting Middleweights rising into contention, and Adesanya can still look to turn away would-be title threats.
Ultimately, Adesanya’s legacy as an all-time great Middleweight is established regardless of this weekend’s outcome. His immediate future, however, is very much on the line.
