After suffering back-to-back losses at the hands of Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya will make his highly-anticipated return to action to face Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, 2025.
With two tough defeats looming in the back of his mind ahead of a challenging bout against a fighter on a three-fight win streak, another loss would be catastrophic for “The Last Stylebender,” who is currently 1-3 in his last four outings.
However, according to Robert Whittaker — who has two losses to Adesanya himself — the former 185-pound champion will get back on track in the Middle East, even if Imavov manages to replicate du Plessis’ successful strategy.
“Is Imavov as tanky as Dricus? I think Dricus kind of… I think Dricus made like a really good blueprint on how to beat Adesanya: Got to make him uncomfortable, come at him, make him stress. Don’t give him space to play,” said “Bobby Knuckles” on his MMArcade podcast (via MMA Fighting).
Whittaker further noted, “I think Imavov’s got the skill set to do that, but I’d still lean towards Izzy being the favorite. He can fight that counter-style so well, and if you don’t fall into his baits, into his traps, he’ll pick you apart.”
“I don’t know, because Izzy looked so good against Dricus until he didn’t,” Whittaker explained. “I don’t know, I think that Izzy beats Imavov.”
Imavov — who is currently ranked No. 5 at 185 pounds — has won three straight fights against Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, and Brendan Allen. A win over Adesanya would bring him closer to his first-ever title fight. For Adesanya, securing a victory is crucial, as a third straight loss could push him to consider changing divisions for good.
