Israel Adesanya might have just teased about hanging up his gloves for good! ‘Izzy’ had been on the lookout for a middleweight title shot right after he lost against Dricus du Plessis back in August. After the fight, while Adesanya congratulated Du Plessis, his team stated that ‘Izzy’ was not 100% fit. However, coming into the match against Nassourdine Imavov, Adesanya’s camp claimed that the former champion had one of the best training camps ever.
Unfortunately, things did not reflect as his camp would have wanted to. Adesanya shocked the UFC realm as he got dropped from a vicious Imavov punch and never recovered. Now, any other day, a vibrant athlete like Adesanya would have taken a loss sportingly and have vowed to come back stronger. But this time around, the iconic fighter did not have the same zeal as before. Infact, keeping the fans guessing, ‘Izzy’ teased about a probable retirement too!
“I don’t know. I’ll have to chill and think about things,” Adesanya stated while speaking to ESPN MMA.
Israel Adesanya on what’s next for him after his loss at #UFCSaudiArabia:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 1, 2025
“I don’t know. I’ll have to chill and think about things.”
🎥 @espnmma #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/ioFmAyWO2C
Surely, there is no confirmed news of the legendary fighter retiring as of now. His fans would definitely like Adesanya to come back and deliver a thumping performance once more to remind the world that he is not finished yet. Meanwhile, recent times have witnessed Israel Adesanya burying the hatchets with his former rivals.
Israel Adesanya Making Friends With Former Foes
Israel Adesanya had two of his biggest rivalries against Alex Pereira and Robert Whittaker. Surprisingly, ‘Izzy’ is looking forward to making peace with both of them. While the former UFC champion has already trained with Whittaker, he has hinted at doing the same with the current UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
Exploring the option of training with ‘Poatan’ in the future, Adesanya stated, “Eventually, but right now it’s not that time. …We still have guys like Carlos Ulberg in the trenches, getting ready for his next fight so he can become a No. 1 contender.”
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Israel Adesanya would absolutely train with AlexPereira in the future:
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) January 24, 2025
"Eventually, but right now it’s not that time. …We still have guys like Carlos Ulberg in the trenches, getting ready for his next fight so he can become a No. 1 contender."
(🎥 @DamonMartin) pic.twitter.com/lN7kjc2mOR
Well, Adesanya looking to smoothen things with his former rivals is surely a good sign. But for his fans, a dominating comeback will be the best thing that can happen at the moment. Can we see the old ‘Izzy’ back in action again? Only time will tell.
Also Read: When Is Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov? Date, Start Time, TV Channel, Fight Card, And More
