(Video) Israel Adesanya buries hatchet with veteran referee after controversial call
A week after his defeat to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia, Israel Adesanya meets the officiating referee.
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Israel Adesanya shares a moment with UFC Saudi Arabia referee (Image via Imago/Instagram)
Over the years, the UFC community has witnessed numerous controversial decisions in fights that could have gone either way. Such decisions often result in intense criticism aimed at those involved. Most recently, the outcome of the headlining clash in UFC Saudi Arabia between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov was also regarded as a controversial call by the officiating referee.
To reignite his legendary UFC career, the ‘Last Stylebender’ aimed to overcome a rising prospect Nassourdine Imavov. However, the outcome at UFC Saudi Arabia was not what he had anticipated. Adesanya was caught by a brutal right overhand from Imavov, which led the referee to stop the fight. Although the referee Marc Goddard was criticized, Adesanya holds a different opinion.
Ignore all that, don’t worry. Nice to see you away from the cage. Don’t be [sorry]. I’ll tell you one thing. The one in New York, I was like eh, but this was good. You know why? I wasn’t there. I was moving, but it was all instincts.
Israel Adesanya via Instagram (@stylebender)
Adesanya made an interesting comparison between the only two knockout/TKO losses of his UFC career. Notably, Marc Goddard was the officiating referee who stopped the fights on both occasions. During their brief interaction, Adesanya pointed out that Goddard’s decision to stop the fight at UFC Saudi Arabia was justified, in contrast to his defeat against Alex Pereira at UFC 281.
Speaking of Alex Pereira, along with burying the hatchet with Goddard, Adesanya was seen with the UFC light heavyweight champion. After a long-standing rivalry, former UFC middleweight champions Pereira and Adesanya are now on good terms. As such, they even sat together to watch the recent UFC PPV event (UFC 312) in Australia.
Israel Adesanya claims a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame
After Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva, Israel Adesanya is one of the standout fighters in UFC middleweight history. Since making his promotional debut in 2018, Adesanya has defeated and outclassed many opponent in the 185 lbs division. Interestingly, one of the fights involving the Nigerian-born Kiwi fighter earned a place in the UFC’s “Fight Wing.”
In April 2019, Israel Adesanya faced Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 for the interim UFC middleweight title. After a grueling five-round battle between both fighters, Adesanya emerged victorious. This fight was a significant highlight in the career of the Nigerian-born Kiwi fighter, ultimately paving the way for him to win the UFC championship.
"One of the greatest fights I've ever seen in my life." -Dana White@KelvinGastelum vs @Stylebender is the newest inductee to the #UFCHOF Fight Wing 👏 pic.twitter.com/YQIbgwNiNC
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025
Forever linked 🤝@Stylebender & @KelvinGastelum catch up about their upcoming #UFCHOF induction! pic.twitter.com/sGTIlDgmSy
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025
During the live UFC 312 event, the promotion announced that the fight between Adesanya and Gastelum would be included in the Hall of Fame. Following this announcement, both fighters expressed their gratitude to each other during a video call. Despite being on a poor run of form lately, Adesanya is still regarded as one of the legends in the UFC.
Related: Why does Israel Adesanya hate Monster Energy? Is there a villain in this UFC lore?
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Nilaav Gogoi
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