It’s back to the drawing board for Israel Adesanya.
The former UFC middleweight champion suffered his third successive defeat on Saturday night, losing via second round TKO to France’s Nassourdine Imavov in the headline attraction of the UFC’s return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
And amid what can be thought of as a crossroads in the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer’s career, Adesanya has vowed that he will be “back” in a message to social media alongside video footage of him watching the bout in the hours after it took place.
“As real as it gets,” he wrote. “Rolled the dice…snake eyes. I’ll be back, gone to get some milk.”
You can watch that video here.
Adesanya’s defeat provides further clarity in a 185-pound weight category which sees champion Dricus du Plessis defend his crown against former champ Sean Strickland in the UFC 312 main event in Sydney, Australia this weekend.
Imavov, who was ranked fifth in the division before his win over Adesanya, will rise in the hunt for a title bout while Khamzat Chimaev, who defeated Robert Whittaker by submission last year, will also be considered a strong candidate for a title bout. However, Chimaev’s preference to compete in the Middle East restricts his ability to challenge for the title.
