Israel Adesanya makes QUIRKY statement with a look back on UFC Saudi Arabia KO defeat: “Gone to get some milk…”
Israel Adesanya reviews KO barrage, releases official statement following UFC Saudi Arabia title loss at ANB Arena in Riyadh.
Israel Adesanya issues official statement on yet another loss (Source: X)
Israel Adesanya is breaking new ground in his UFC Saudi Arabia defeat. Such is the kickboxing/MMA prominence who makes tides even in losses. Izzy went on a drizzy and suffered just the second knockout loss of his MMA career earlier yesterday. Now, he opens up about the Riyadh UFC Fight Night 250 title flub.
Saturday afternoon’s main event feature at UFC Fight Night 250 (ESPN+, noon ET) was to be ‘the’ return. This was a specialty case where Israel Adesanya was fighting in a non-title fight after over six years. Yet, he meant to prove that he was still a threat. However, surging sensation and a hungrier Nassourdine Imavov defeated Israel Adesanya in way of knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:30 mark. Adesanya later saw footage of the UFC Saudi Arabia loss and reflected on it.
After taking a few hours to digest his knockout loss to Imavov, the Kiwi-Nigerian goes back to the drawing board. Adesanya has now lost his last three trips to the Octagon and is now 1-4 in his last five fights. It’s a tough pill to swallow. After UFC Saudi Arabia, he is as removed from the upper echelon as it gets. Names like Frenchman Imavov, title challenger Sean Strickland, and the promised top seed for UFC 185-pound gold Khamzat Chimaev tread those spots.
💔😓Israel Adesanya confronts footage of his knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov.
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) February 1, 2025
🎥 @stylebender ▫️ pic.twitter.com/9928qYoCQG
🫀
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) February 1, 2025
“As real as it gets.” – @ufc
Rolled the dice…snake eyes 🎲🎲
I’ll be back, gone to get some milk. 🥛🥛 pic.twitter.com/XQ5eMgL6zd
The only other knockout for the CKB star was to the heavy-handed striker/kickboxer Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in 2022. That just states Imavov’s ceiling who put quite the ground-and-pound touch-up on his KO. It does not diminish what Adesanya has been all these years though. However, after the wrinkle, the fighter is unsure of the proper next steps. Daddy “Stylebender” will be bending minds and out scouting for some milk, kids.
Israel Adesanya unsure of next step after third straight UFC loss and long saga of ‘thrill and agony’
Ever hear the joke about the millionaire man where even the losses he incurs are in…well…millions? Yes, after UFC Saudi Arabia’s second Fight Night debacle, Israel Adesanya is in the same fugue state where even losses are big. Izzy went big on a historic first reign with 5 defenses and after that, it’s all mundane.
Now, his MMA turnover is facing new milestones. First-ever submission loss, second KO (strike) loss, and third consecutive slump ever! He had never lost three consecutive fights across his lengthy tenure. But the UFC Fight Night 250 main event changes all that.
Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) and his storied run reached a peak after UFC 287 PPV, where vengeance was his and he recaptured gold. However, that second reign didn’t stay; he lost it at UFC 293 in a mind-boggling upset. He failed to capture it a third time, from Dricus Du Plessis, last August. Now, he has also faced a setback in proving himself prime meat in the pecking order.
Hence — after the UFC Saudi Arabia loss, Adesanya is looking for a way forward to make his run matter. His legacy is already bloated as a two-time champ and highlights all over. Neither he nor his fan following knows what’s what after this.
Dibaas.M
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