Israel Adesanya vs. Sharabutdin Magomedov: A must-win for 'The Stylebender'

Israel Adesanya and Sharabutdin Magomedov are heading to UFC Saudi Arabia for a middleweight clash of the division's most well-known strikers. For Adesanya, it's a much-needed, winnable bout against a high-profile fighter. For Magomedov, it's a chance to get a win over a former middleweight champion, but only one of them won't recover from a potential loss.

The end is near for Israel Adesanya

Just a few years ago, Israel Adesanya was the UFC middleweight champion. He was in full control of the division and carving out a legacy as one of the greatest 185-pounders in history. Unfortunately, those times are gone, and now he's on the worst rough patch of his career and on the decline. It's one thing to lose to the likes of Alex Pereira, Sean Strickland, and Dricus du Plessis. All three men have held the middleweight belt at different points, with Strickland currently on his second reign as the UFC middleweight kingpin. Even Adesanya's second-round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov from last year at UFC Fight Night 250 is somewhat forgivable. After all, he didn't lose to a scrub. Imavov is on a five-fight win streak and the current middleweight number one contender.

However, a loss to Joe Pyfer is a different matter entirely.

That isn't to say Pyfer is a bad fighter. He's relatively well-rounded and very powerful, but he has just one win over a top 10 middleweight, and that win was his second-round TKO over Adesanya at UFC Fight Night 271. An aging Adesanya, who is 1-5 in his last six fights and on a four-fight losing streak. In his prime, Adesanya would have likely schooled Pyfer on the feet, which he actually did for most of their fight before making the inexplicable decision to brawl with him. So, what does the fight with Sharabutdin Magomedov mean for him because he's at a point in his career where things could start to feel directionless. He'll never fight for the title again, so what's his goal?

For now, he's fighting for the sake of fighting or to prove that he still belongs in the UFC. He hasn't won a fight in three years, and he's dangerously close to getting knocked out of the middleweight top 10. A win over Magomedov would mean he can, at least, beat the bottom of the top 15, according to the UFC Meta Rankings, which have 'Shara Bullet' at #15. The UFC Media Panel, on the other hand, has him unranked. In short, Magomedov is a winnable fight. He poses no grappling threat, has poorer striking fundamentals despite being flashy and dynamic, and doesn't hit hard enough to be someone Adesanya has to worry about.

It's a must-win for Adesanya, at least so he can justify his roster spot and take on 'fun' matchups for the rest of his career. And he's well aware of this, which is why he's switched training camps. He cannot afford to lose, because if he can't even beat 'Shara Bullet,' someone who Michael 'Venom' Page styled on in a unanimous decision win at UFC Fight Night 250, what's he still doing in the UFC?