For the first time in nearly six years former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will make the walk to the octagon for a non-title fight. “The Last Stylebender” headlines Saturday’s UFC Saudi Arabia fight card against fifth-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.
Heading into the fight, Adesanya feels like the veteran for the first time. The 35-year old looks forward to facing some younger up-and-comers and he’s got one on Saturday in the 29-year old Imavov.
“I feel like the guy, like the old dog. And then there’s the young guys coming up trying to prove themselves. It’s my job to send them back down and let them know (I’m) still here,” Adesanya said.
Adesanya (24-4) is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Imavov will enter the octagon on Saturday riding a three-fight winning streak. Looking at the stylistic matchup, Adesanya doesn’t think Imavov brings anything to the table that he hasn’t seen.
“From what I see so far, there’s nothing that he brings that I haven’t seen before,” Adesanya said. “I think his best attribute is his speed. Yeah, his speed. His counters, but I’ve seen that before. It’s up to him to show me something that I haven’t seen before.
