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Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is set to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon on February 1, 2025. “The Last Stylebender” will face rising contender Nassourdine Imavov in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night 250. The event is scheduled to take place at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Adesanya recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming fight in a video posted to his YouTube channel. Reflecting on lessons learned from his loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305, the New Zealander highlighted a comment from his coach, Eugene Bareman that has motivated him during training camp.
“Something Eugene said at the start of this camp, he said, ‘If you had come into the camp like this, you wouldn’t have lost that fight,’” Adesanya revealed. “I just noted that down. For the Dricus fight, I was in great shape, felt strong, but yeah, definitely room for improvement, and we’ve made those improvements.”
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Adesanya last competed in August at UFC 305, where he faced du Plessis for the middleweight title at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. In a thrilling back-and-forth battle, du Plessis submitted Adesanya in the fourth round via rear-naked choke, becoming the first fighter to secure a submission victory against “The Last Stylebender” in professional MMA.
The defeat marked Adesanya’s second consecutive loss, a first in his MMA career. Meanwhile, Imavov enters the bout on a four-fight win streak, presenting a significant challenge for the former champion. A victory over Imavov could propel Adesanya back into title contention and reignite his pursuit of UFC gold.
Stay tuned for more updates as UFC Fight Night 250 approaches.
