Following Israel Adesanya’s second-round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia, the Nigerian-born Australian fighter has moved down two places to fourth in the official UFC rankings.
This defeat marks a challenging period for Israel Adesanya, as it is his third consecutive loss in about 12 months.
As a result, the middleweight rankings have seen significant changes, with Imavov advancing to the second spot, just ahead of Khamzat Chimaev.
Despite Imavov’s rise, Chimaev is expected to contest the winner of the upcoming championship rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland, according to MMA journalist John Morgan.
Adesanya entered the bout with hopes of breaking his consecutive losing streak. He previously lost his title to Strickland at UFC 293 and faced another setback against du Plessis at UFC 305 last August.
In the fight against Imavov, Adesanya started strong, landing several effective low kicks, but was ultimately caught by a powerful right hand followed by a left uppercut, leading to the referee’s intervention.
This marks a notable shift in Adesanya’s career, as it is the first time in six years and 12 fights that he has competed without a UFC championship on the line. His professional record now stands at 24 wins, including 16 knockouts, alongside four losses over his 13-year MMA career.
The middleweight division has also seen new entrants, with Roman Kopylov debuting in the rankings at No. 14 after his TKO victory over Chris Curtis in January, and promising prospect Bo Nickal making his rankings debut at No. 15.
Following the fight, Adesanya remained resilient, sharing on his official X page, “As real as it gets, @ufc. Rolled the dice…snake eyes. I’ll be back, gone to get some milk.”
