Israel Adesanya, known as “The Last Stylebender,” is nearing the end of his remarkable MMA career, but he’s not done yet.
He recently fell short of becoming a three-time middleweight champion after a fourth-round submission loss to Dricus du Plessis. Despite the setback, Adesanya remains determined and is eyeing a major comeback fight in 2025 to reclaim his place at the top.
Israel Adesanya Talks Big Comeback Plans for 2025
Israel Adesanya is in a bit of a tricky spot right now. After being the king of middleweight for so long, he’s lost two fights in a row and three out of his last four. It’s kind of a bumpy patch for the 35-year-old fighter.
But guess what? He doesn’t seem too worried. Even after losing his title to Sean Strickland in 2023, he still believed he was the top guy. Now, after his recent loss to Du Plessis, Adesanya feels free, like there’s less pressure on his shoulders. That could make him super dangerous as he works to climb back up in the middleweight rankings.
“I actually have no idea, that’s the thing. And it’s nice to know that,” Adesanya said during a recent appearance on FLAGRANT.
“Now I’m in a spot where it’s like, ‘Who do I fight? When do I fight?’ Because I’m only doing main events, five-rounders, and title fights. That’s all I’ve done for the last how many years.
“It’s kind of nice to not have that be the focus now. Just fight, show off, make money. We’ll see. I’m excited… I know I’m going to choke a motherf***** out. I know I’m going to get one of those.”
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Israel Adesanya says he wants to stop fighting before he turns 40.
That means fans still get to see him for a little longer, and UFC is happy about it! Izzy, the cool fighter everyone loves, plans to make the most of his time before saying goodbye to the cage.
“You’ve got to break up with fighting before fighting breaks up with you,” he continued.
“When will I? I don’t know. I said at 20-something, ‘When I’m 34 I’m done with this game.’ I’m 35 now. But I know I’m still over the halfway point and I’m definitely a few years away, maybe three years away. But who knows?
“I know I don’t want to be fighting at 40.”
Israel Adesanya is still ranked #2 in the UFC middleweight division.
If he wins a big fight next year, he could get another shot at the title. It’s unclear if he’ll ever get a submission win or become a three-time UFC champion, but he’s still working hard to get there.
