Even without UFC title, Israel Adesanya sees importance of Nassourdine Imavov fight
UFC Fight Night 250 will mark the first time that Israel Adesanya competes in a non-title fight in almost six years.
Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) takes on Nassourdine Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in Saturday's main event (ESPN+) at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The former UFC middleweight champion has been in the title picture since 2019 but is currently in unfamiliar territory having lost back-to-back title fights against Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.
"The Last Stylebender" insists that his motivation hasn't faltered.
"Just because there's not a belt on the line, I don't want to diminish this fight like it's not important," Adesanya said during Wednesday's media day. "This is still an important fight for me. Again, I'm saying I'm doing this for myself. I'm kind of being selfish.
"Like, I fight for myself, I fight for my team, my family, and my real fans, but this one I'm putting myself first. I'm trying to do this one for myself, so it's really important to me."
Adesanya will try and put a halt to a young, rising contender in Imavov.
"From what I see so far, there's nothing that he brings that I haven't seen before," Adesanya said of Imavov. "I think his best attribute is his speed. His speed, his counters, but I've seen that before. Again, it's up to him to show me something I haven't seen before."
The former two-time UFC middleweight champion refuses to look past Imavov and map out future plans but is confident that his legacy is already set in stone regardless of the outcome.
"I said 'gatekeeper' as a joke early on. Yeah, I feel like the old dog and then there's the young guys coming up trying to prove themselves," Adesanya said. "So, it's my job to send them back down and let them know I'm still here.
"God forbid, if I lose my next 10 fights, it wouldn't affect my legacy. So, I put pressure on myself, don't get me wrong. When it's time, I'll put pressure on myself. If he doesn't feel the pressure, good for him, but he'll find out."
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Even without UFC title, Israel Adesanya sees importance of Nassourdine Imavov fight
