A former two-time middleweight champion suffered his third consecutive loss in Saudi Arabia.
Israel Adesanya looked to get back in the win column this past weekend on Saturday night in Riyadh but came up short against Nassourdine Imavov in the main event.
The rising French contender at 185-pounds secured a stunning second-round finish over ‘The Last Stylebender’ to produce the biggest win of his career to date.
Following his second knockout loss inside the Octagon, this latest setback has led to speculation about what is next for Adesanya and whether he should hang up the gloves for good.
He’s already made it clear that this isn’t his intention as of right now despite the criticism that he has received in the immediate aftermath of his latest outing.
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Darren Till calls out Israel Adesanya’s Critics Following Imavov Loss
Darren Till has weighed in on the future of Israel Adesanya’s UFC run by calling out the people who aren’t giving the MMA legend the respect he deserves.
‘The Gorilla’ was a rival of Adesanya’s during his middleweight run where it seemed like a fight between them was only ever a few steps away from becoming a reality.
Till posted a passionate statement, drawing comparisons between their careers to point out that this loss doesn’t tarnish his prior accomplishments at the highest level.
“I have just read a comment on an MMA page saying the downfall of Israel Adesanya needs to be studied!!!!!!!!!,” the former UFC fighter wrote on X. “Can everyone on here who is not absolute moron actually understand that statement!!!!!! I am trying so hard to understand it but can’t… I’m so confused…
“What downfall???? I’ve seen people comment about downfalls studies etc… all that s*** like the downfall of Darren Till needs to be studied. I get that. I should have excelled more in the UFC than I did but some certain factors didn’t let me…. But now. I swear I can not even fathom that I have just seen a comment saying Israel Adesanya’s downfall needs to be studied,
“Me and Izzy aren’t friends I wouldn’t even say I am his biggest fan outside of the octagon etc… but thats got f*** all to do with what that man has achieved in this sport. He was a f****** wrecking machine at middleweight. No one could beat him.”
After referencing some of Adesanya’s greatest achievements, Till continued to say that people shouldn’t be so quick to disregard such a special fighter.
“IZZY was an absolute wrecking machine in his day. He is without doubt one of the middleweight goats and it’s not even up for debate. In fact he can lose his next 5 fights and it wouldn’t change a f****** thing on his goat status. But these today kind of MMA fans are so f****** dumb stupid IQ of about 10 say these things I just look and think oh my f****** god. Hope is lost. Gang of absolute morons. I’m in utter disbelief by it. Sorry all of u for the big a** rant but f*** me. A man like IZZY should be worshipped among MMA fans and the UFC. He’s literally one of the all-time greats.”
Till concluded his thoughts by making a comparison to UFC welterweight Colby Covington who is another fighter that receives a lot of criticism despite what he has done inside the Octagon.
- READ MORE: Israel Adesanya’s long-time rival makes hilarious case for trilogy fight after UFC Saudi Arabia KO
Israel Adesanya is no stranger to critics
Israel Adesanya is certainly no stranger to facing critics throughout his run in the UFC but if there’s one thing that is undeniable about ‘The Last Stylebender’, it’s the way that he handles himself in defeat.
Saturday night belonged to Imavov despite the fact that so much of the conversation immediately afterward revolved around what was next for his opponent.
If Adesanya is going to step back inside the Octagon once again, he’ll have to face those critics once again but that will only fuel him to prove them wrong.
For now, he’ll take some time to recover before deciding how he will look to answer some of the many questions that people have right now.