UFC fans urge Adesanya to retire after he suffered another defeat in Saudi Arabia

UFC fans urge Adesanya to retire after he suffered another defeat in Saudi Arabia

Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has been told by fans to retire from the sport after Nassourdine Imavov knocked him out inside two rounds to score a big upset at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.

“Adesanya… retire big bro,” one fan said. While another added: “Adesanya is washed.”

“Adesanya should retire honestly. three straight losses in the UFC are curtains,” someone else commented:

“I would like to see Adesanya retire. He can still win fights, but his speed has fallen off and his chin is cracked. This will keep happening if Adesanya keeps fighting top competition,” a fourth fan wrote.

“Israel Adesanya needs to retire,” one UFC Saudi Arabia viewer exclaimed.

“Israel Adesanya is officially on retirement watch,” this fan insisted.

As Adesanya considers his fighting future, Imavov is hoping to get a shot at his old belt later this year.

Du Plessis and Strickland will rematch with 185lb gold on the line at UFC 312 in Australia next weekend.

The winner is expected to defend against Khamzat Chimaev in the summer, but Imavov believes he’s done enough to jump the queue after stretching his current win streak to four in a row.

“I think there is no doubt I am worth the belt,” Imavov said via a translator after his biggest win to date.

“Four victories in one year. Two top five [opponents]. Two top 10 [opponents]. Two finishes.

“The record speaks for itself.”

Adesanya was understandably upset with how things played out, especially as he sought to get back on track on Saturday.

“Disappointed,” Adesanya said about his performance during the UFC post-fight show. “I hate disappointing my fans and my team. My team’s still proud of me for the work that I put into this. It’s just the thrill and agony.”

It’s a particularly difficult moment for Adesanya considering the way the pendulum swung for him from an outstanding start in the first round to a rapid-fire sequence that led to his downfall in the second. Of course, Adesanya now has to absorb this defeat after he put everything into his training camp to get ready for Imavov but this was the final result.

Still, Adesanya acknowledged that kind of anguish is something he has to face alone and it’s not really a feeling the rest of the world gets to experience alongside him.

“I don’t think it’s for them to know,” Adesanya said. “You have to be in it to know. Only a privileged few will ever get to this point and understand.

“To be able to feel something so great but also able to feel something so deep and so [frustrating]. It’s a f*cking lovely game, but it’s a stupid game at the same time.”

Adesanya gave Imavov his due for a job well done but it’s still a difficult loss to accept considering how the fight started.

“He must be excited to beat a guy like me,” Adesanya said. “But again, I felt good. Round one, I was in control of everything. In hindsight, maybe I should have taken some time. I just didn’t want him to rest because I knew he was tired. I didn’t want him to rest. But again, [hindsight is] 20/20.”

With a third consecutive loss, Adesanya undoubtedly falls further from potentially getting the middleweight title back but he already stated prior to the fight that he’s never chased championships in the UFC.

Perhaps the better question now is whether or not Adesanya decides to return to compete again after dropping his third straight fight but even with a win, he promises that the answer isn’t coming soon.

“I don’t know [what’s next],” Adesanya said. “I have to chill and then think about things. I’ll relax for a little bit, just help the teammates who have fights coming up