Inside Riyadh’s ANB Arena yesterday, Israel Adesanya‘s UFC return took a brutal turn, as he was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov in the second round. This defeat marked the former two-time champion’s third consecutive loss. Throughout the first round, Izzy had applied pressure on the 29-year-old French contender, but in round two, after landing a heavy kick, an eye poke from the French-Dagestani prospect disrupted his momentum.

A key question remains: did ‘The Last Stylebender’ miss the chance to recover following the referee’s intervention? Despite being given time to reset, Israel Adesanya, seemingly unwilling to accept the break, insisted the referee keep the fight going. Just seven seconds later, Nassourdine Imavov capitalized with a right-hand knockout. This misstep may haunt Izzy, adding to his troubling record of four losses in his last five Octagon appearances.

Adesanya’s coach, Mike Angove, however, doesn’t believe the eye poke had a significant impact on the Nigerian-Kiwi’s vision. In an interview with Submission Radio on YouTube, Angove clarified, “It does put you off momentarily, but he could see clearly enough when it came to reset. It’s just one of those things you have to be careful about.”

Despite this, Angove expressed frustration with Adesanya’s reluctance, stating, “An experienced pro will close the distance when the referee breaks something. You have to create your own space, reset, or circle back to the center. But in the heat of the moment, you want to put the pressure on, which is what happened. That’s just how it goes.” Ultimately, Angove concluded, “It’s just a fight at the end of the day, so we just have to deal with it.”

With this loss, the 35-year-old Israel Adesanya’s standing as the middleweight champion has taken a significant blow. This marks the third time Izzy, once a fan favorite heading into the fight, has fallen victim to an underdog, a fate he also suffered against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. The result was disappointing, but his coach stepped forward to highlight the mistake. Let’s take a closer look.

Mike Angove reacts to Israel Adesanya’s loss to Nassourdine Imavov

“It wasn’t a nightmare. A nightmare is when you’re scared, like, ‘Oh s**, f*.’ It wasn’t that—it was more like, you try to hit the guy, and it just feels like noodle arms,” Israel Adesanya reflected on his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, calling it a “bad dream.” Since that fight, Izzy has struggled to regain his form, marking the start of his three-fight losing streak, something he’d never faced before in his career.

At his most recent outing in UFC Saudi Arabia, Israel Adesanya appeared physically fit, but early in the second round, Nassourdine Imavov sent him to the canvas. Mike Angove, the Nigerian-Kiwi’s coach, shared his thoughts on the loss during a conversation with Submission Radio: “In this game, especially with small gloves, you can’t afford mistakes. We made one. Nassourdine (Imavov) and his team recognized it and capitalized. They must have had a plan, and you’ve got to give them credit for that…Izzy got poked in the eye, there was a break, but Izzy didn’t want to take the break. In doing so, he didn’t reset like he normally would.”

What do you think about Nassourdine Imavov’s eye poke on Israel Adesanya? Do you believe it played a role in Izzy’s loss? If so, could his attitude have hindered his ability to recover after such a long hiatus? Share your thoughts below.