Israel Adesanya’s knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia was a tough blow to take. This marked his third consecutive defeat, a steep fall for the former two-time champion after his nearly 6-year run at the top. Before stepping into the Octagon for his first non-PPV fight since February 2019, ‘The Last Stylebender’ remained confident in his legacy: “I feel, honestly, God forbid if I lose my next 10 fights, it wouldn’t affect my legacy.”

But the fight didn’t go his way. Despite the setback, Adesanya still finds strength in his close-knit team and friends, who have been his backbone through the highs and lows. “My team feels proud of me because of the work I put into this, but yeah, it’s just the thrill and agony,” he admitted. Every fighter eventually faces a harsh reality check, but the right people can make even the toughest moments easier to bear.

His second-round knockout loss to the French-Dagestani left fans stunned. But now, that shock has turned into a lighthearted memory among Izzy and his friends, who can sit back, reflect on his legacy, and laugh at both the good and the bad. Adesanya recently shared a glimpse of this camaraderie on his Instagram stories, asking a friend to describe his last fight in three words. The response? Brutally honest: “Washed, retire, loser.”

And as if the moment couldn’t be more fitting, in the background, a group of girls at another table were singing Bruno Mars’ song ‘Grenade’ which added an ironic, almost poetic soundtrack to the scene.

But Izzy?—you’d think he’d be sulking, but instead, he was all laughs and smiles at the joke. His friends wasted no time keeping him grounded—because, let’s be real, that’s exactly what real friends are for. As for the fans? The comment section was a battlefield. Some couldn’t help but laugh along, while others were still reeling from the loss, lamenting what had just unfolded.

Fans react to Israel Adesanya being trolled by his close friend 

The impact of the loss was certainly felt by Izzy and his team, but if there’s one thing Adesanya knows how to do, it’s take failures in stride. After getting trolled by his friends, he laughed heartily, while fans filled the comment section with a mix of reactions. One follower hilariously wrote, “Now Izzy is the guy at the bar,” referencing the viral meme about Alex Pereira drinking alone, reminiscing about his past.

Back in 2020 ahead of his title defense against Yoel Romero, Adesanya was questioned about his loss to Pereira in the world of kickboxing. On the other hand, Pereira hadn’t even debuted in the promotion by then. This is when Izzy confidently told Sporting News Australia: “At the end of the day, no one knows who the f–k he is, and he’s going to be that guy when I’m world champion, when I’m a legend, he’s going to be at some pub talking s–t about, ‘I beat that guy one time.'”

Fast forward to today, and everything has come full circle. Pereira is at the top as the 205lbs champ, and Adesanya—after suffering another loss—is now the one sitting at the bar while people joke about his past. Another fan added, “Izzy was telling everyone in that bar that he beat Alex.”But let’s be honest—he did. Adesanya took out Pereira via TKO in Round 2 at UFC 287. Despite his recent setbacks, at least Izzy knows how to laugh about it. One fan pointed out, “At least he knows how to laugh—top fighter.” Another said, “Bro laughing away the pain,” while someone else called it “Masterclass trolling.”

One fan even suggested the ultimate way for Adesanya to flip the script: “If Izzy makes a video watching Alex’s next fight in a bar, leans over to the guy next to him, and says ‘I beat that guy one time,’ it will be a great video.” Another summed it up bluntly: “KARMA IS HARDCORE FOR REAL to think it all started with his comment, about exactly what he is doing in this video. Meanwhile, the guy he was speaking about is now the champ.”

Yes, maybe it’s full circle, but winning and losing are just part of MMA. And according to his coach, Eugene Bareman, Adesanya isn’t done yet. So, what’s next for the former 2-time middleweight champion? Share your thoughts in the comments below.