Day: 22. Dezember 2024

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Israel Adesanya will be in an unfamiliar position at UFC Saudi Arabia.

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When he faces Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Fight Night 250 main event, it will be the first time since February 2019 that “The Last Stylebender” won’t be involved in a championship bout. According to the former middleweight champion, that’s something that only concerns people on the outside looking in.

“I still get paid,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “There’s still a referee. There’s two of us in there. There’s still a crowd. So it’s not in the f—ing Apex or something. It doesn’t feel any different. I think people are making it out to be something how they would react to it but they’re not in my shoes. They’re not in my shorts.

“Yeah it’s different like, ‘Oh my God it must be eating him alive to be on a Fight Night.’ I was like, it’s a Saudi Arabia Fight Night. I still get paid.”

Adesanya is coming off the first two-fight losing streak of his pr…

Ian Heinisch initially planned to take a temporary hiatus from mixed martial arts, but that break has turned into a full-fledged retirement for the benefit of his overall well-being.

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The seven-time Octagon veteran hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC on ESPN 27. Citing numerous health issues — including head trauma and concussions — Heinisch announced in 2023 that he was stepping away from the sport. At the time, he insisted that he was “not quitting.” As it turns out, brain injuries would ultimately send Heinisch into an early retirement — but it’s a decision he doesn’t regret.

“Man, I hid it for probably a year-and-a-half. When I was supposed to fight Sam Alvey, I had to pull out of that fight. I couldn’t hide it anymore,” Heinisch recently told MMAjunkie.com. “I couldn’t go to the gym. I didn’t feel like myself. I had headaches all the time. I had confusion. One time,…