1 day Ago By Guardian Nigeria
Nigeria-born, New Zealand-based former two-time UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, is adopting drastic measures to strategise his training regime ahead of his highly anticipated return to the octagon against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 in Riyadh on February 1. Adesanya’s coach, Eugene Bareman, revealed that they have implemented significant changes to their preparation methods following the fighter’s recent struggles, which have seen him lose three of his last four fights since November 2022. “We are doing things quite differently for this fight,” Bareman told CombatTV.
“They are a lot more drastic than what I’m usually accustomed to doing. I like to take things very steady, but based on past performances, I thought we needed to flip things on its head a bit.” Adesanya, 35, has endured a challenging period since his victory over Jared Cannonier in July 2022, losing his title twice.
He suffered a TKO defeat to Alex Pereira before reclaiming the belt at UFC 287, only to lose it again via unanimous decision to Sean Strickland. His most recent setback came in August 2024 when he submitted to Dricus du Plessis. Despite these challenges, Adesanya maintains his confidence remains unwavering saying: “Because I can – and I’m really, really, really good at it.
” Adesanya faces Imavov, who enters the bout on a three-fight winning streak, having defeated Roman Dolidze, Cannonier, and Brendan Allen. Bookmakers have installed Adesanya as a slight favourite. “I know he is dangerous.
I know he is slick. I like his style. Not bad footwork.
He is dangerous – very well-rounded. It’s not about him, it’s about me. It’s about improving, just writing this chapter,” Adesanya said.
The February 1 clash at the ANB Arena will be Adesanya’s first non-title bout in six years as he looks to improve his record of 24-4 in mixed martial arts, including 13-4 in the UFC..
