Israel Adesanya has had a horrible twelve months. After losing his title to Sean Strickland in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, the former champ failed in his bid, to regain his old title against reigning champ Dricus Du Plessis this August. This is unfamiliar territory for the Kiwi-Nigerian who had been a dominant champ for the past four years until last year.

Now, the former champ will have to make his way back up the division toward another title shot. For his bounce-back fight, there seem to be only two real contenders – #6 ranked middleweight Caio Borralho and #5 Nassourdine Imavov. And Borralho knows exactly whom the Kiwi-Nigerian has chosen. Speaking to ‘Inside Fighting’ in a recent interview, the Brazilian revealed he was waiting to hear from the UFC about who and when to fight.

“You know I’m just waiting on UFC whatever the guys want, and whenever the guys want, and against anyone they want, I’ll be there. I’ll be accepting the challenge. I know I am one fight away from the title, so it doesn’t matter if a guy is in front of me or back in the rankings,” he said.

In addition, Borralho confirmed that ‘Izzy’ had been given the choice to fight him or Imavov next. But the former champ had settled on the Frenchman, who ranked higher than Borralho. Moreover, he was also coming off a fantastic win.

“I don’t care that much. I wanted the Israel Adesanya fight and I think they presented two fighters for him- me and Imavov. And I think he chose Imavov, you know. He actually posted a story on his Instagram studying Imavov’s tape. So I think he already made his choice and I’m just waiting,” he added. But when exactly will ‘Izzy’ be back in action?

Israel Adesanya reportedly set to headline second Saudi Arabia card early next year

Caio Borralho’s revelations do seem to be borne out by recent reports. There has been a buzz over the past week the UFC is targeting an Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov clash in February 2025. The duo will headline the UFC’s second-ever card in Saudi Arabia, marking an exciting Fight Night event.

Of course, their matchup is quite intriguing too, with plenty of action expected in their clash. After all, Imavov, like Adesanya, is an exciting striker, using his speed and size to put together fantastic combinations. In addition, the Frenchman also has a respectable ground game. It’s an actual threat ‘Izzy’ will have to contend with.

This will also be the biggest fight in Imavov’s career so far. If he absolutely wins it, he will see a massive boost in his popularity. He will have a serious case to fight for the title shortly. A loss would be equally devastating for Adesanya, who will find himself sliding further down the division, with talks of being washed up almost definitely following.

What do you think about Caio Borralho’s revelations about Israel Adesanya’s next fight?