2/3/25: Nassourdine Imavov Stops Former Champ Israel Adesanya
Also: OKTAGON kicks off 16-man middleweight GP, Bilal Hasan picks up another big win, and more!
Welcome to a Monday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue is going to be a little different from most Mondays.
Unfortunately, I was sick on Saturday and unable to write a recap of the busy fight day. But since I’m much better today, we’re going to play a bit of catch-up on the latest headlines.
So here’s the plan: Today includes a recap of all the big and small stories around the MMA world, some you likely already heard about and others you might have missed! A recap of three fight cards, plus 17 other news items inside the notes section.
The usual Look At The Week Ahead preview will come out tomorrow morning in a special Tuesday issue. That’s one to look forward to, as there’s a fair amount of MMA taking place over the next few days.
Thanks to all who understand this sudden change. Being a one-man team with this newsletter means these things happen from time to time. Anyway, let’s get started! Here’s what we have in store for today:
UFC Riyadh: Nassourdine Imavov stops Israel Adesanya
OKTAGON 66: The third-annual Tipsport GP begins in Dusseldorf
CFFC 139: Bilal Hasan’s star continues to rise
The Notebook: Conor McGregor embarrasses himself, high-stakes strawweight fight gets booked for April, RIZIN announces bantamweight title clash & more!
Nassourdime Imavov Stops Former Champ Israel Adesanya In Second Round
Israel Adesanya can no longer be considered one of the top names at middleweight.
The former 185-pound champ—and one of the most decorated fighters in the division’s history—suffered his third consecutive loss on Saturday night, getting finished in the second round by French contender Nassourdine Imavov.
A clean overhand right from Imavov sent Adesanya tumbling in the opening moments of the second round from the anb Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After going down to a knee, a follow-up shot to the head put Adesanya on his back.
Imavov pounced on the hurt former champ, throwing a few more ground and pound shots following the knockdown. Referee Marc Goddard was quick to step in and end the fight by this point, extending Adesanya’s recent misfortunes and continuing an impressive run for Imavov.
The sudden second-round finish came after a cautious and slow-starting opening round, where Adeanya chipped away with leg kicks and defended takedown attempts, but notably also ate a hard uppercut to the head late.
Adesanya has now suffered a trio of losses since late 2023 when a massive defeat to Sean Strickland suddenly ended his brief second reign with the UFC Middleweight Championship.
The New Zealander’s most recent fight prior to Saturday was an unsuccessful attempt at beginning a third run with the belt, losing to incumbent champ Dricus Du Plessis in August via fourth-round submission.
Adesanya, who behind Anderson Silva holds the second-most title defences in middleweight history (five) and the second-longest combined days as champ in the division (1,289 days), posted a video of him watching the fight’s finishing sequence later that evening, admitting in the clip: “That’s how the game goes.”
“Rolled the dice… Snake eyes,” Adesanya captioned the post. “I’ll be back, gone to get some milk.”
While a new low for Adesanya, Saturday was undoubtedly a career-high for the fast-rising Imavov.
28-year-old Imavov is expected to move up from his fifth-place spot in the standings after this weekend, taking down second-place Adesanya.
Imavov has made huge progress in the middleweight division over just a 12-month period, putting together his best stretch of fights in the promotion since his 2020 debut. The Frenchman has recently also gotten past Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier in “Fight Night” headliners, and in September overcame Brendan Allen in a three-round decision.
“The Sniper” now sees himself as a top contender in line for the middleweight title after Du Plessis and Sean Strickland battle it out at UFC 312 next weekend.
“I think there is no doubt I’m worth the belt,” Imavov said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “I mean, four victories in one year, two top-five, two top-10, two finishes. The record speaks for itself.”
The co-main event on Saturday night saw veteran striker Michael “Venom” Page take the undefeated record of rising Russian middleweight Shara Magomedov, working his way toward a unanimous decision victory after three rounds. The outcome slows the momentum of Magomedov, who has been heavily promoted on UFC’s past trips to Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
Here’s a look at the results from Saturday’s UFC card:
Main Card (12:00PM EST / 8:00PM AST) (ESPN+)
Bout 11: Nassourdine Imavov def. Israel Adesanya via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:30)
Bout 10: Michael Page def. Shara Magomedov via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Sergei Pavlovich def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Vinicius Oliviera def. Said Nurmagomedov via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Fares Ziam def. Mike Davis via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (9:00AM EST / 5:00PM AST) (ESPN+)
Bout 6: Muhammad Naimov def. Kaan Ofli via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Shamil Gaziev def. Thomas Petersen via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:12)
Bout 4: Terrence McKinney def. Damir Hadzovic via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:01)
Bout 3: Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Mayra Bueno Silva via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Bogdan Grad def. Lucas Alexander via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:22)
Bout 1: Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Jamal Pogues via Decision, Split
Kerim Engizek, Matej Penaz Advance In Middleweight Tipsport Gamechanger GP
The first quarter-finalists for OKTAGON’s 16-man middleweight grand prix are set.
Kerim Engizek and Matej Penaz advanced past the opening round of the Tipsport Gamechanger Middleweight Grand Prix on Saturday night, picking up wins as part of OKTAGON 66 from the PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Engizek, OKTAGON’s current middleweight champ, overcame short-notice opponent Kamil Oniszczuk in the main event of the night.
A solid showcase of striking skills from Engizek through three rounds earned him a comfortable unanimous decision win.
Engizek started as the more active striker in the opening round, out-landing Oniszczuk to gain an early lead. Poland’s Oniszczuk upped his output as the fight progressed, but found himself still trailing behind as Engizek was connecting with the bigger shots. By the second round, the cleanest strike of the bout was a hard right hand to the head of Oniszczuk.
Growing in confidence, Engizek went from having the edge in a competitive fight to controlling a stand-up battle by the third round. This change in attitude allowed him to score with some of his best strikes in the closing minutes of the fight, including a pair of spinning back fists and a clean two-punch combo to the head.
It was a clear win for Engizek after 15 minutes of action.
Engizek, who represents Turkey but has spent his entire career fighting inside Germany, was returning for the first time since beating Patrik Kincl on scorecards to become OKTAGON Middleweight Champion last fall.
The 33-year-old now has strung together 15 consecutive wins, including four since joining OKTAGON in 2023.
Engizek was originally booked to face Anthony Salamone this weekend but was instead given Oniszczuk on just a few days’ notice due to drug test complications which took Salamone off the show.
Ex-Bellator talent Oniszczuk was initially placed lower on the card against Hojat Khajevand as part of a reserve bout, but by Thursday was upgraded to the main event. While both fighters were in camp and expecting to fight this weekend, the last-minute alteration to the lineup forced them to suddenly prepare for a different fight than what they were initially signed up for.
Penaz needed just less than five minutes to advance in his Round of 16 fight, stopping ex-UFC talent David Zawada in the opening round with strikes.
While the first round initially looked like a strong start for Zawada, Penaz was able to turn things around in the final minute and secure a finish.
An aggressive Zawada pinned Penaz against the cage early in the opening round, entering into a grinding position where most of the fight took place. After minutes of Zawada throwing knees and keeping Penaz from launching any significant attack of his own from a body lock, Penaz was able to escape.
The disparity in striking skills became obvious as the round neared its end. Penaz made the most of his reach advantage, flinging out aggressive punches that hurt Zawada. A lead jab from Penaz stung Zawada, causing him to cover up against the fence. Sensing the opportunity to finish, Penaz came forward with a knee to the head and a series of punches, crumbling Zawada to the canvas and calling an end to the fight.
The win on Saturday kicked off what could be the biggest opportunity yet for 28-year-old Penaz. The former GLORY Kickboxing talent has developed 10 MMA wins in OKTAGON since turning pro in 2020, with nearly all victories emerging via stoppage. If successful in the tournament, Penaz could snag a grand prize of 300,000 Euro and possibly gain a title at middleweight.
The loss on Saturday continues a rough post-UFC run for Zawada. The German talent has won just two of his six appearances since he departed the UFC roster in 2021, including two unsuccessful appearances in the 2023 PFL regular season.
Here’s a glimpse at everything that went down in Dusseldorf this week:
Main Card (OKTAGON PPV)
Bout 11: Kerim Engizek def. Kamil Oniszczuk via Decision, Unanimous (Tipsport Gamechanger Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round)
Bout 10: Lom-Ali Eskiev def. Wanderley Junior via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:45)
Bout 9: Matej Penaz def. David Zawada via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:42) (Tipsport Gamechanger Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round)
Bout 8: Deniz Ilbay def. Vladimir Lengal via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:35)
Bout 7: Cihad Akipa def. Matous Kohout via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Hojat Khajevand def. Kennedy Rayomba via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:20) (Tipsport Gamechanger Middleweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout)
Bout 5: Daniel Solaja def. Raphael Federico via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Emir-Can Al def. Viktor Kovac via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:47)
Bout 3: Tamerlan Dulatov def. Ghith Ighzawi via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 0:16)
Bout 2: Zoran Solaja def. Lukas Elias via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:34)
Bout 1: Danielle Misteli def. Sara Luzar Smajic via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 2:30)
Bilal Hasan Stops Brian Hauser To Defend CFFC Flyweight Title For First Time
Blue-chip flyweight prospect Bilal Hasan added another big win to his record on Saturday night, putting away Brian Hauser in two rounds to defend his CFFC belt for the first time.
Hasan’s quick performance closed out CFFC 139, which went down from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA this weekend.
23-year-old Hasan put together a one-sided striking showcase on the feet, relentlessly attacking Hauser before finding a stoppage nearly halfway through the second round.
Hauser was in trouble early against Hasan, as the wide variety of strikes from the Indonesian-American overwhelmed him. A right hook to the head, a head kick, and numerous shots to the body hurt Hauser in the opening round, but none of it did enough to put the tough prospect on the mat just yet.
After a brutal opening round, Hauser looked to shut down Hasan’s striking by wrestling him. This proved to be unsuccessful, as Hasan blocked the few takedown attempts and forced the fight to remain at kickboxing range.
A stoppage for Hasan—which was expected following his dominant few minutes of performance on the feet—finally emerged when he dropped Hauser with a hard left hook to the body in the second round. The referee was quick to dive in and stop the fight just moments later, extending Hasan’s pro record to six wins.
“The whole thing about this fight, I came with one thing, and one thing only: To be calm,” Hasan said afterward. “When I’m most calm, I’m most dangerous. I put on a clinic. I was so comfortable. Man, I tell all the people in my corner, there’s literally nowhere else I’d rather be, and that’s what makes me such a dangerous fighter.”
Hasan has been nothing short of entertaining since making his pro debut for CFFC in late 2022. He has won his past five fights via stoppage, including a spinning wheel kick knockout last year.
Hasan picked up his first-ever submission when he appeared in September, putting away Jose Leon with a rear naked choke to capture the promotion’s flyweight title.
Hasan, who resides in Washington, pitched the idea of fighting on UFC’s February 22nd card in Seattle. Whether or not he lands the short-notice opportunity—one that would likely only emerge if a bantamweight fight on the card falls through, as no flyweight bouts are booked for the lineup thus far—Hasan confidently said his UFC arrival is “inevitable.”
Saturday night was a tough return assignment for Hauser, who was competing for the first time in nearly three years. His past regional fights included back-to-back first-round finish wins, showcasing his crisp boxing in notable regional promotion B2 Fighting Series.
Here’s a quick look at everything that went down at CFFC 139:
Main Card (8:00PM EST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 13: Bilal Hasan def. Brian Hauser via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:11) (CFFC Flyweight Championship)
Bout 12: Chris Guariglia def. Armando Gjetja via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 11: Amin Almelik def. John Caldone via Decision, Split
Bout 10: Jose Rodriguez def. Tyri Brown via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:41)
Bout 9: Lateesha Mohl def. Mariah Castro via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Vincenzo Iannuzzo def. Darwin Pena via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:20)
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Nick Galanti def. Monte Ogbonna-Morrison via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 2, 4:47)
Bout 6: Maya Stewart def. Rebecca Evans via Submission, Ninja Choke (RD 1, 0:39)
Bout 5: Justice Harris def. Nick Gebhard via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Jordan Baskerville def. Elijah Sampson via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 0:34)
Bout 3: Michael McCaffrey def. Jason Gomez via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant Amateur CFFC Flyweight Championship)
Bout 2: Spencer Saarloos def. Parker Kropman via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 0:14) (Amateur)
Bout 1: Justin Cariss def. Aidan Burke via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
Notes On: UFC, ONE Championship & RIZIN
UFC
In a now-deleted social media post, Conor McGregor repeatedly used a racial slur while going after Khabib Nurmagomedov and his family. While re-posting an image that he shared back in 2019 of Nurmagomedov and his wife—a post that was deemed racist by many and later caused the former two-division champ to issue an apology of sorts—McGregor had a nearly incoherent rant that also included a mention of Khabib’s deceased father, Abdulmanap.
Bryce Mitchell has released a statement expressing regret over his anti-Semitic comments which included a remark that Adolf Hitler was “a good guy.” “I’m sorry I sounded insensitive,” he wrote on Instagram. “I definitely was not trying to offend anybody, but I know I did. I know that a lot of people died in the Holocaust, and that’s a fact. Hitler did a lot of evil things, I think we can agree on that. I’m definitely not a nazi, and definitely do not condone any of the evil things Hitler did.” UFC’s Dana White condemned Mitchell’s comments earlier in the week but chose not to issue any formal punishment for the featherweight.
One small change has hit Saturday’s UFC 312 card in Sydney, Australia. Aleksandre Topuria (5-1), the brother of featherweight champ Ilia Topuria, has received a new opponent. While originally booked to meet Cody Haddon (8-1), Topuria is now expected to fight fellow promotional newcomer Colby Thicknesse (7-0). Thicknesse is getting a UFC shot just months after a title win in Australian regional promotion HEX Fight Series, marking his seventh victory since turning pro in 2020. Topuria will be competing for the first time since May 2023.
Undefeated featherweight Hyder Amil (10-0) will return at UFC’s March 1st card against William Gomis (14-2). Amil has been impressive since making his UFC debut just under a year ago, stopping Fernie Garcia in the second round and most recently getting past Lee Jeong-yeong in just 65 seconds. Gomis has also been on a roll since his 2022 promotional debut, with his split decision win over Joanderson Brito last September marking his fourth consecutive victory since joining the promotion.
UFC 314 is reportedly expected to take place on April 12th from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, USA, although the promotion has yet to formally announce the show. Here are the three bouts that have been reported for the date thus far:
High-ranked strawweights Virna Jandiroba (21-3) and Yan Xiaonan (19-4) are expected to face off in a three-round clash, per AgFight. Third-ranked Jandiroba has the chance to possibly become the next title challenger after next weekend’s Zhang Weili/Tatiana Suarez clash, if successful in her upcoming booking. She’s currently on a four-fight winning streak, including a second-round armbar win against Amanda Lemos from last July. Yan, who had a shot against Zhang in 2024, bounced back from her unsuccessful title challenge in November when she beat Tabatha Ricci on scorecards. She looks to defend her second-place ranking with the upcoming fight.
Nikita Krylov (30-9) will return to the UFC cage for the first time in over two years when he faces Dominick Reyes (14-4), as first confirmed by Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. Krylov’s last appearance dates back to March 2023, when he scored a first-round submission against Ryan Spann. Upon return, he will be trying to continue a three-fight winning streak. Reyes is coming off a year that saw him have somewhat of a career resurgence, snapping his four-fight skid and earning his first win since 2019 when he beat Dustin Jacoby. He followed that victory up with a win over the highly experienced Anthony Smith in December.
Jim Miller (38-18) has also been lined up to face Chase Hooper (15-3-1), as first reported by X account McGregorRousey2 and later confirmed by Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting. Hooper is on his best stretch of UFC fights yet, having picked up four straight wins since 2023. Hooper’s last fight saw him get past vet Clay Guida, submitting him early with an armbar. He goes from one highly experienced fighter to the most experienced in UFC history with Miller, who is coming off a fast guillotine choke win over Damon Jackson from November.
ONE Championship
Three more fights have joined ONE 171, the promotion’s return to Qatar on February 20th:
Former ONE champ Aung La N Sang (30-14) will try to avenge his loss to Shamil Erdogan (10-0) when they meet for the second time soon. La N Sang had his three-fight winning streak brought to a sudden halt in September, suffering a second-round ground and pound finish by Erdogan as part of the promotion’s second-ever U.S. card. After a dominant showing in the recent fight, Turkey’s Erdogan will aim to put together a similar performance and secure his third ONE victory when he appears later this month.
Grappling expert turned MMA prospect Kade Ruotolo (2-0) will try for his third pro win when he faces Nicolas Vigna (7-0). Ruotolo has been nothing short of dominant in his rookie year thus far, having scored back-to-back first-round submission wins. Vigna has the experience of more than a decade on the regional scene in Argentina but has notably only faced low-level names within the country. The deceiving record of Ruotolo makes it look as if Vigna is facing yet another green talent. But Ruotolo’s extensive list of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu accolades says otherwise.
Welterweights Abdullo Khodzhaev (5-1) and Wilian Poles (6-3-1) will face off early in the evening. Khodzaev, a UAE Warriors vet, is returning after suffering his first pro loss in September. Brazil’s Poles is also coming off a loss from last year, taking a defeat against Magomed Zaynukov on a UAE Warriors show.
ONE has started a major promotional push for their March 23rd show in Saitama, Japan, recently announcing many more matchups for the show. Worth noting: It was previously announced that Adriano Moraes and Yuya Wakamatsu will face off in a 135-pound MMA title clash on the card. Here are some of the highlights from the recently revealed matchups:
A total of five title fights are now set for the card when including the recent additions of Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym vs. Msasaki Noiri for a 145-pound kickboxing title and Jonathan Di Bella vs. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for a 125-pound kickboxing belt.
Former UFC fighter and past ONE champ John Lineker will step into the world of kickboxing when he takes on Hiroki Akimoto. Lineker is giving kickboxing a shot after a recent string of Muay Thai fights, putting together a pair of wins in late 2024 before suffering a loss last month to Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai.
Kaito Ono and Nadaka Yoshinari, a pair of kickboxers who previously appeared on RIZIN programming and all around the Japanese scene, will both make their ONE debuts as part of the card. 24-year-old Nadaka, who has impressively gone undefeated since 2019 including six past appearances for RIZIN, will meet Rak Erawan. Kaito, a star from Japan’s SHOOT BOXING league and a two-time RIZIN vet, will take on Marat Grigorian.
RIZIN
The full lineup for RIZIN 50—which will go down on March 29th from the Anabuki Arena Kagawa in Kagawa, Japan—has been announced. Naoki Inoue’s (18-4) first defence of the RIZIN Bantamweight Championship will headline the card, meeting Yuki Motoya (37-12) in a rematch. Inoue captured the first major gold of his pro career back in September, putting away Korean stand-out Kim Soo-chul in the first round to capture the vacant title. Motoya will be looking to avenge his 2020 loss against Inoue, which was a first-round submission outcome. The 20-fight RIZIN vet has picked up a trio of wins over the past year, most recently handing rising 18-year-old prospect Kyoma Akimoto his first pro loss on New Year’s Eve.
Former featherweight champ Chihiro Suzuki (13-4) will also return as part of the undercard, appearing for the first time since dropping his title to Kleber Koike in a New Year’s Eve instant classic, snapping a lengthy winning streak in RIZIN. He’s meeting Kazakhstan’s Karshyga Dautbek (17-3), a fast-rising name who made a splash in the Japanese scene last year by picking up four wins within 12 months.
Other notable appearances on the card include: Luiz Gustavo (14-3) fighting for the first time since his NYE title fight loss to Roberto Satoshi Souza, 18-year-old RIZIN amateur tournament winner Sanoh Yokouchi (0-0) making his pro debut, top strawweight talent Haruo Ochi (26-11-2) in action, and the return of fan-favorite Uoi Fullswing (24-15-5). You can view the full lineup here.