Israel Adesanya considering UFC future after latest defeat

Israel Adesanya is unsure what his future holds after the former UFC middleweight champion slumped to his third consecutive loss on Sunday (AEDT) in Riyadh.

The 35-year-old’s defeat to Nassourdine Imavov came as a shock after top sports betting apps had the Kiwi as a -161.29 favourite to get back to winning ways at UFC Saudi Arabia.

But a sharp overhand right shattered Adesanya’s hopes of a comeback, with Imavov winning by knockout early in the second round.

Now, winless since April 2023, the Nigeria-born fighter intends to take some time away from the octagon to reflect on his next move.

“I have to chill and then think about things,” he said after the fight.

“I will relax first for a little bit, just help the teammates who have fights coming up, and yeah, see what I want to.

“I was going to do that anyway, but you know, now I’m forced to.

“Shoutout to Nassourdine for that.

“It’s a f***ing lovely game, but it’s a stupid game at the same time.”

The past three years of Adesanya’s career have been a rollercoaster.

After losing his middleweight title to Alex Pereira, he exacted his revenge six months later with a brilliant knockout at UFC 287.

However, losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis then stymied Adesanya’s momentum.

His most recent defeat to Imavov is the final straw for the former champion’s career, according to Michael Bisping.

“The biggest takeaway is that it’s over,” the UFC Hall of Famer said.

“Israel Adesanya’s reign as champion, I don’t think will come again.

“I say that with the greatest of respect and I truly mean that.

“An original. An incredible fighter. A legend of the sport. A future Hall of Famer.

“But his time at the top is done.”

Bisping pointed towards the 15 years of toil that Adesanya has endured to become one of the best middleweights in history.

“A long career at the highest level has a lot of wear and tear on the body and not just the fights,” he said.

“The training camps — the training camps are worse than the fights.

“When you do this at the highest level, you train accordingly, that’s what takes its toll on the body.

“Yes, he’s taking some lumps and bumps inside of the octagon. He took one tonight.

“But that combined with the years and years of training to get to this level, that’s the problem. That’s the issue.”

Despite Bisping’s comments, a social media post from Adesanya on Sunday has given fans some hope to hold on to.

“I’ll be back, gone to get some milk,” he posted, along with his commentary on the fight.

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