Israel Adesanya faces Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Fight Night on February 1 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The former two-time middleweight champion from New Zealand looks to rebound from a pair of defeats.
Nigerian-born Adesanya claimed the UFC 185-pound title against Robert Whittaker by knockout in the second round in October 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. In February 2022, the pair squared off in a rematch.
Going face-to-face for the second time, Adesanya and Whittaker battled it out atop the UFC 271 fight card in Houston, TX. Adesanya put his title on the line for the fourth time. Whittaker, who previously won the interim belt and was later elevated to a full champion, was looking to take revenge and regain the strap.
The scheduled five-round championship bout went the full distance. Adesanya came out on top, defeating New Zealand-born, Australia-based Whittaker by unanimous decision with the scores 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
In his next fight against Nassourdine Imavov in early February, Israel Adesanya aims to get back in the win column. In his previous bout last August, the 35-year-old was submitted by current 185-pound champion Dricus du Plessis in the fourth round of his attempt to become a three-time champion. In September 2023, the Lagos native lost the belt by unanimous decision against Sean Strickland.