"We made a mistake” - Israel Adesanya’s striking coach reflects on KO loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia

Israel Adesanya has now suffered three consecutive defeats for the first time in his combat sports career. The former middleweight champion faced off against Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, where he was defeated in Round 2 via knockout.

The anticipation surrounding the return of 'The Last Stylebender' in Riyadh was near-palpable. Teammates and coaches of Adesanya shared their satisfaction with the level of preparation for their clash with Imavov, and the 35-year-old appeared in peak physical condition.

However, Adesanya was caught by a perfectly placed punch in the second round that floored him before some follow-up strikes from 'The Sniper' forced the referee to stop the contest.

The former champion's longtime striking coach, Mike Angove, was interviewed by Submission Radio following the event. He reflected on the result, saying:

"The name of the game, particularly in small gloves, you can't make mistakes. We made a mistake. Nassourdine, I would say, with his team recognized when we made that mistake and they jumped on it. Which means they have to have planned. You've got to congratulate them for that."

He added:

"Izzy got poked in the eye, there was a break, Izzy didn't want to take the break, in doing that he didn't reset as you normally would."

Catch Mike Angove discuss Israel Adesanya below (0:54):

---

Israel Adesanya unsure on fighting future following third straight loss

Israel Adesanya was stopped for the third time in his MMA career when he faced off against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. With 'The Last Stylebender' having accomplished legendary status in the sport, his recent string of defeats have led to questions about how long he has left in MMA.

Before facing Imavov, the former middleweight champion stated that his clash in Riyadh was to prove that "an old dog can learn new tricks". Following the knockout loss, Adesanya addressed his fighting future while being interviewed by ESPN MMA.

He said:

"I don't know [what's next]. I'll have to chill and then think about things. I'll relax first for a little bit, just help the teammates who have fights coming up. Yeah, see what I wanna do. I was gonna [help my team] out anyway, but now I'm forced to. Shout out to Nassourdine for that."

Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below (1:10):