"Not fair to leak this," "End of an era" - Fans react as new Israel Adesanya sparring footage surfaces ahead of Nassourdine Imavov fight

A recent training video of Israel Adesanya prepping for the Nassourdine Imavov fight has gone viral on the internet, capturing the attention of MMA fans all over the world. Many have extended their support towards Adesanya, while others have made fun of the former champion, claiming that he's past his prime.

Adesanya is set to make his octagon return in a middleweight bout against Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Notably, this will mark his first-ever non-title match since 2019.

Combat sports news outlet Championship Rounds recently took to X and shared a sparring clip of Adesanya, in which he was spotted working on his takedown defense.

Check out the post below:

Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

Adesanya's training clip shouldn't have been leaked, according to pro-MMA manager Alex Davis, who wrote:

''Not fair to leak this footage. Obviously from a security camara. It's gold in the hands of the opponent's coaches''

Another one suggested Adesanya to call off his MMA career, writing:

''He’s gonna get smoked. End of an era. Time for Usman, Volk and Izzy to retire''

Other fans wrote:

''Izzy needs a win in spectacular fashion. Or he's cooked''

''If Izzy comes in healthy to this fight it’s over for Nassourdine. I think he had an injury or a poor training camp for Dricus which led to a subpar performance. Hopefully this fight won’t be the last we see of Izzy, and if it is I hope he gets a sick finish.''

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

In his recent octagon outing at UFC 305, Adesanya was unsuccessful in reclaiming his middleweight title as he was submitted by Dricus du Plessis in the fourth round.

---

Israel Adesanya reacts to Manel Kape targeting him and his teammate Kai Kara-France

Following his third-round knockout win over Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa this past weekend, Manel Kape issued some harsh comments about Israel Adesanya and Kai Kara-France during his octagon interview. Kape said:

''F**k Kai Kara-France... F**k Adesanya''

Adesanya, who uploaded his live reaction to UFC Tampa in a video on his YouTube channel, responded to Kape's remarks humorously, saying:

''This shows I been in his head this whole time. I didn't even think it was like that, but he did well, good job. Little b*tch a** n***a.''

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (7:44):