This Saturday, Israel Adesanya is perhaps going into the most important fight of his UFC career so far. Which is a big claim to make since ‘Izzy’ was champ for five years and had some pretty big fights during this time. Post his championship career, perhaps his fight against Nassourdine Imavov is the most career-defining bout for him yet.

After all, ‘Izzy’ has lost two fights in a row, and turns 36 this year. With there already being murmurs of the two-time middleweight champion being past his prime, another loss would have many in the community call him washed-up, with some even urging him to call it a career. Since his fighting style relies on lightning-fast reflexes, quickness, and athleticism, a loss to Imavov would prove for many that Adesanya just doesn’t have it anymore.

And ‘Izzy’ seems well aware of the stakes and he’s asked fans not to count him out as of yet. The familiar calm, yet confident Adesanya of old surfaced when he sent out a chilling but poetic warning to Imavov and fans about his intentions for Saturday. “🫰🏾Time done land! There will be “Blood on the Sand.” ⌛️,” ‘Izzy’ wrote on his Instagram account.

Imavov, although based in France, hails from Dagestan. He likes to do most of his work on the feet, but he does have a serviceable ground game, even if his takedown accuracy is an unimpressive 36%. For his part, ‘Izzy’ has decent grappling skills, but none that he can take the risk of employing offensively inside the Octagon. On the other hand, Robert Whittaker feels that the Dagestan native has fairly good grappling. ‘The Reaper’, on a recent episode of his podcast, described Imavov’s grappling as “very good,” pointing out that he “gets the back of just about every opponent he fights.” 

This could be a challenge for Adesanya. There is no doubt that ‘The Last Stylebender’ is the better striker. However, if Imavov manages to take the fight to the ground, Adesanya may be in trouble.

On the other hand, ‘Izzy’ has faced many a excellent grappler during his UFC stint, and has always proven up to the task. But if Imavov manages to get the fight to the ground, dominate Adesanya there and win, that would be seen by most as further proof of the former champion’s decline. But on the other hand, if Adesanya wins, he will be right back where he belongs.

Will Israel Adesanya fight for the title if he beats Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia?

If Israel Adesanya beats Nassourdine Imavov, he will probably be right back in title contention. Reigning champ Dricus Du Plessis is set to rematch Sean Strickland at UFC 312 a week after Adesanya-Imavov. Of course, then there is Khamzat Chimaev, who is probably next in line for a title shot.

But then again, if Adesanya wins, the UFC could set up an official #1 title contender bout between him and Chimaev for the winner of Du Plessis-Strickland 2. But even if the UFC doesn’t and Khamzat Chimaev gets to fight for the title straightaway, ‘Izzy’ will almost definitely be next in line. But the only problem is that Adesanya likes to stay active. ‘Borz’ (if he gets a title shot next) won’t be able to fight the winner of Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 until mid to late 2025.

And the winner of that fight won’t be ready to fight until very late 2025 or early 2026. This raises a very important question – if Adesanya wins tomorrow, will he be willing to wait that long for his next fight? Or will he take on other top-ranked contenders and risk losing his position in the division again? Well, we can only wait and let time tell us the answers. What do you think about Israel Adesanya’s message ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight?