Fans react as Israel Adesanya gives "stone-cold" three-word response to Laura Sanko's commentary on his TKO loss: "Went out on his shield"

Israel Adesanya suffered a shocking third consecutive defeat in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, losing via TKO to Nassourdine Imavov. The bout began with a cautious approach from the fighters, with both middleweights finding moments of success. Adesanya, known for his feints, opted for a more direct approach.

In the second round, Adesanya turned aggressive but was momentarily halted by an eye poke. Refusing to take a break, he pressed forward, only to be caught by a devastating overhand right from Imavov, followed by ground-and-pound that forced a stoppage.

UFC commentator Laura Sanko, who was on the commentary team, reacted immediately, saying:

"One shot to kill a legend. That was unbelievable."

Later, while reviewing footage of his knockout, Adesanya responded to the comment with a defiant three-word statement:

"I'm still alive."

Check out Israel Adesanya's response below:

Fans quickly reacted to his composed response. One fan called it:

"Stone cold: “Im still alive""

While another wrote:

"Went out on his shield."

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Israel Adesanya's response to Laura Sanko's commentary. [Screenshot courtesy: X]

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Francis Ngannou sends message of support to Israel Adesanya after UFC Saudi Arabia loss

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou extended his support to Israel Adesanya following the latter's loss to Nassourdine Imavov.

Ngannou shared a heartfelt post on Instagram featuring a picture of himself with Adesanya and fellow fighter Kamaru Usman. In the caption, Ngannou praised Adesanya’s resilience and congratulated Imavov for his impressive victory:

"Unforgiving sport. Champ one day, champ foverever. Israel Adesanya, we love you, man and will always stand by your side. Congrats to Nassourdine Imavov for his amazing performance."

Check out Francis Ngannou's post below:

The loss marked a difficult moment for Adesanya, who had been riding high as the UFC middleweight champion before his last two setbacks. During a backstage interview with ESPN MMA, Adesanya reflected on his future plans, stating:

"I don't know [what's next for me]. I'll have to chill and then think about it. I will relax first, for a little bit, just help the teammates who have fights coming up. Yeah, I'll see what I want to do. I was going to do that anyway, but now I'm forced to. Shoutout to Nassourdine for that."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below: