Israel Adesanya, an Australian fighter of Nigerian descent, dropped two spots to fourth in the official UFC rankings after losing to Nassourdine Imavov via second-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia.

Israel Adesanya is going through a difficult time because this is his third straight loss in around a year.

Consequently, there have been notable shifts in the middleweight rankings, with Imavov moving up to the second position, narrowly surpassing Khamzat Chimaev.

According to MMA journalist John Morgan, Chimaev is anticipated to challenge the victor of the forthcoming championship rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland, notwithstanding Imavov’s ascent.

Adesanya came into the fight hoping to end his run of consecutive defeats. At UFC 305 last August, he suffered yet another defeat after losing his belt to Strickland at UFC 293.

Adesanya got off to a solid start in the bout with Imavov, landing a number of successful low kicks, but the referee had to step in after he was caught by a big right hand and a left uppercut.

For the first time in six years and twelve fights, Adesanya is competing without a UFC title on the line, which represents a significant turning point in his career. Over his 13-year MMA career, he has already recorded 24 victories, including 16 knockouts, and four defeats.

There have also been newcomers to the middleweight class, with bright prospect Bo Nickal making his rankings debut at No. 15 and Roman Kopylov making his debut at No. 14 following his TKO victory over Chris Curtis in January.

Adesanya maintained his fortitude after the fight, posting on his official X page, “As real as it gets, @ufc.” The dice were rolled—snake eyes. I’m going to buy some milk and will be back.