Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya suffered a second loss in three fights when he faced Sean Strickland at UFC 293. ‘The Last Style Bender’ was dominated over five rounds which included a first round knockdown. After his loss against Strickland, Adesanya said that he would be taking a break from the sport. However, in a recent YouTube video uploaded on MMA Junkie, Adesanya revealed his tentative date for return which has left fans shocked.
‘The Last Style Bender’ has been extremely active ever since he joined the UFC and made his debut in February 2018. In close to six years with the company, Adesanya has fought a mind-boggling 16 times. A lot of those fights happened to be with a championship on the line. Needless to say the constant activity must have taken a toll on Adesanya both mentally and physically.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, when asked about potentially stepping away from the sport, Adesanya said,
“I am not dead, I am not retiring, calm down. N***a I am alive, I am still kicking so yeah.” (1:02 to 1:09)
When asked if he would return in 2024, ‘The Last Style Bender’ said,
“2027, 2027, look for the return. I’ll see you there.” (1:19 to 1:22)
Needless to say, Adesanya’s statement evoked a lot of interesting reactions from fans. Here are some of the best reactions to Israel Adesanya’s 2027 comments.
One fan said, “2027 is wild”
Another fan added, “If he stays out that long he doesn’t come back.”
“He would be 38”– commented a fan.
“Lmaoo nah chill ”– speculated a fan
While Adesanya has ruled out retirement time away from the sport would do him a world of good considering how active he has been.
Time off needed for Israel Adesanya to rejuvenate?
As the saying goes, getting to the top is easy, staying there is tough. This is especially true for UFC champions. And even more so for an active champion such as ‘Izzy’. Since he won the title in October 2019, Adesanya has been involved in 10 title fights in four years.
We’re not gonna see Adesanya back for a while… pic.twitter.com/sk38pB4Gmy
— CrashMMA (@mmacrash) October 13, 2023
Adesanya confirmed his decision to take an extended break from the sport in a recent interview. He said,
“Now I’m going to take time to look after myself, and I’m not going to fight for a long time. I’m definitely not going to retire because I know me — I’m not leaving like that. I know me. But if I did, I’m fine. I don’t need to prove anything else….. I’m going to heal myself up. You won’t see me fight for a long time.”
It is important to note that Adesanya’s tone suggested that he might be joking. However, there is a very real possibility that he does step away from the sport altogether.
