This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, we saw a huge matchup in the middleweight division. Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (24-5) was taking on rising contender Nassourdine Imavov (16-4, 1 NC). Imavov was going for his fourth straight win in the biggest fight of his career.
This fight was massive for both men. As mentioned, Imavov was looking for his fourth straight win which would solidify him as a title contender. Adesanya was looking to snap a two-fight losing streak and prove that he’s still one of the very best at 185 pounds. Something had to give in this one.
In the first round, I thought Adesanya did a great job of using his range and his kicks. Imavov was able to land a big right uppercut and you could tell that his game plan involved taking Adesanya down. However, Adesanya stuffed every takedown attempt in the first. I had it 1-0 Adesanya heading into the second.
In the opening 30 seconds of the second round, Imavov landed a crushing right hand that sent Adesanya down. Imavov landed a perfect left uppercut against the fence which finished the job giving him the biggest win of his UFC career.
What’s next after UFC Saudi Arabia?
Under traditional circumstances, Nassourdine Imavov would be next in line to fight for the middleweight title. The middleweight title is on the line this upcoming weekend at UFC 312 and it appears to line up perfectly for Imavov especially coming off this huge knockout win.
However, he’s not going to be next. Dana White has already said that promotional superstar Khamzat Chimaev is getting the winner of DDP – Strickland 2 which means that Imavov will have to fight again. It’s a tough spot to be in, but that’s the business fighters are in.
With that, there’s really only one logical opponent for Imavov and that’s Caio Borralho. Both of these guys are in very similar positions and it makes all the sense in the world for these two to fight later this year. Chimaev will fight the middleweight champion next and Imavov – Borralho should fight the winner.