Israel Adesanya, aged 34, has been a professional MMA fighter since 2012, with an additional background in kickboxing spanning many years. Competing for over a decade as a professional athlete, he endured considerable physical strain and is aware that he is nearing his retirement.
Following a decisive loss to Sean Strickland in a lopsided decision that cost him his middleweight title at UFC 293 in September 2024, he declared his intention to take a break from fighting.
Initially, Adesanya humorously stated that he would make a comeback in 2027, clarifying later that it was a joke. However, 'The Last Stylebender' has been involved in five fights since the start of 2022, which is the most by any fighter, particularly champions.
At this stage in his career, the 34-year-old has shifted his focus from the quantity of fights to prioritizing high-quality bouts.
“That’s why I’m taking this time off. People were talking like I’m retiring or taking five years off. I’m like, ‘chill, don’t worry.’ My time off is different to most people’s time off. People take two years off. I’m not doing that,” Israel Adesanya said on his YouTube channel.
“Like I said, four fights in 14 months. I know I’m on the back end of my career. I know when I’m done with this, I’m going to miss it. So I was trying to do as much as I can. Then I realized it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. I’m still going to enjoy this. When I fight, I know I’ll fight (this year). I don’t know when I’m going to fight, but when I fight, it’s going to be quality. It’s not going to be quantity.”
While Adesanya is concentrating on securing quality matchups, the identity of his next opponent remains uncertain. Possibilities include facing the winner of Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 for the middleweight title or potentially returning to the 205lbs division for a trilogy with Alex Pereira, marking his second attempt at becoming a two-division champion. Regardless, MMA fans can anticipate Adesanya's return to the octagon this year.
With a professional record of 24-3, Adesanya is coming off a decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, resulting in the loss of his title.
After losing to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November 2022, the New Zealand-born made an impressive comeback but beat the same opponent at UFC 287 with a TKO win to reclaim his title, which he ended up losing to Strickland at UFC 293 once again.
Adesanya's career highlights include significant victories over Robert Whittaker (twice), Anderson Silva, Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero, and Jared Cannonier, among others.