Israel Adesanya breaks down stoppages with Marc Goddard at UFC 312 and reflects on Nassourdine Imavov fight: "I wasn't there"

Israel Adesanya compared his TKO stoppages against Alex Pereira and Nassourdine Imavov while talking to Marc Goddard.

Adesanya has only lost twice by KO/TKO in the UFC, one against Pereira in November 2022 and the other against Imavov on February 1. Both fights featured Goddard as the referee, with some fans questioning both of the stoppages made by the experienced official.

Earlier this week, Adesanya was backstage at UFC 312 and talked to Goddard, which was caught on video. 'The Last Stylebender' had this to say about agreeing with the stoppage Goddard made when he fought Imavov but not the one against Pereira:

"Ignore all that, don't worry. Nice to see you away from the cage. Don't be [sorry]. I'll tell you one thing. The one in New York, I was like eh, but this was good. You know why? I wasn't there. I was moving, but it was all instincts."

Goddard apologized for the situation and Adesanya responded by saying:

"Don't preach to the choir. You're preaching to the choir. Don't worry. F*ck whatever they say."

Watch the interaction between Israel Adesanya and Marc Goddard at UFC 312 below:

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Israel Adesanya opened up about "the realest moment" he's endured inside the Octagon

Israel Adesanya's appearance at UFC 312 featured a special moment in his fighting career. The former middleweight champion was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his unforgettable battle against Kelvin Gastelum in the UFC 236 co-main event in April 2019.

During a press conference at UFC 312, Adesanya had this to say about his Hall of Fame fight with Gastelum being "the realest moment" he endured inside a fighting cage:

"That was the realest moment I think I've ever had in the cage, the realest. I meant every single word of it. I returned the favor by trying to kill him, and he's a hard man to kill. For me, in the moment, I wasn't even scared. I wasn't even scared of death. I'd just got rocked and I was like, 'If this is how I go out then this is how I go out, but I'm gonna die trying.' And I tried, and I did."

Israel Adesanya's latest defeat against Nassourdine Imavov extended his losing streak to three fights. The 35-year-old hasn't mentioned the possibility of retirement, so he's expected to return to the Octagon later this year or in early 2026 to extend his legendary UFC tenure.

Watch Adesanya's comment starting at 1:10 below: