Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has expressed a keen interest in facing undefeated rising star Khamzat Chimaev following the Chechen fighter’s dominant victory over Robert Whittaker in October.
Adesanya, who will return to action against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia on February 1, admitted he was impressed by Chimaev’s performance.
“I was surprised by the way Khamzat ran through Rob, that was crazy. That made me want to fight him,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “I was like, ‘okay, this guy’s actually really, really good.’”
A win over Imavov, ranked seventh in the middleweight division, could put Adesanya in line for a potential title eliminator against Chimaev, who remains undefeated with a 14-0 record.
Despite competing only four times in the last two years due to health issues, Chimaev has earned a reputation for finishing most of his opponents in the first round.
Adesanya, 35, will headline the UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, marking his first non-title bout since February 2019, when he defeated Anderson Silva.
The Nigerian-New Zealander has faced a tough period, suffering back-to-back losses to Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland at UFC 305 and UFC 293 in August and September 2023, respectively.
Despite these setbacks, Adesanya remains one of the UFC’s biggest stars, holding a 24-4 record with 16 knockouts.
His opponent, Imavov, comes into the bout on a three-fight win streak, having beaten Brendan Allen, Jared Cannonier, and Roman Dolidze.
A victory for Adesanya could set him up for a potential third reign as middleweight champion, with rematches against Strickland or du Plessis potentially on the horizon.
