"Greatest comeback since Jon Jones" - Fans react as Israel Adesanya releases exclusive footage of boxing training in Mexico

The MMA community has responded to UFC megastar Israel Adesanya's unraveling of his exclusive training footage from Mexico.

Adesanya's most recent fight witnessed him lose his UFC middleweight title in September 2023, owing to a unanimous decision defeat against Sean Strickland. Following that, 'The Last Stylebender' put forth an announcement wherein he suggested that he's taking a long hiatus from MMA competition and may not return to the octagon till 2027.

Nevertheless, he subsequently clarified that his assertion was misconstrued and that his highly-anticipated comeback could materialize sooner than initially expected. Taking to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, he's now posted a video featuring training footage, particularly boxing training footage, as well as other highlights from his trip to Mexico.

Watch Israel Adesanya's training footage below (1:29):

Fight fans soon chimed in with their takes on Adesanya hitting the heavy bag and doing mitt work alongside a trainer inside the squared circle in Mexico. One X user opined that he already appears to be hitting harder, whereas another highlighted that his power translating to the octagon is a sight to behold.

One fan lauded the former UFC middleweight champion's hunger and urged him to add grappling offense to his arsenal. His supporters asserted that he's coming to reclaim UFC gold, while his detractors argued that he isn't going to compete for a title again.

Furthermore, some netizens opined that Adesanya's boxing ability wasn't his problem and that he shouldn't let his kickboxing take a backseat. Multiple fans indicated that Conor McGregor similarly adopted a boxing-heavy approach a few years ago and paid the price, as it adversely affected his kickboxing and overall combat prowess.

Alternatively, an X user drew parallels between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones' comeback after a three-year hiatus and Adesanya's potential return. Touching upon the former middleweight champion's training video, the fan tweeted:

"This is going to be the greatest comeback since Jon Jones"

Check out the screenshots of a few fan reactions below:

Screenshots of fan reactions

---

Israel Adesanya addresses injury setback, gives timeline for return to full training

A longtime rival of Israel Adesanya, newly-crowned UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis called him out after UFC 297 on Jan. 20, 2024. For his part, the Nigeria-born New Zealander fired back at 'Stillknocks'.

Earlier this month, Adesanya provided an insight into his comeback status during an interview with CombatTV.

The 34-year-old explained that he's still recovering from a few injury issues and would resume full-fledged training at the end of February 2024. While Adesanya didn't provide details on an exact return date or opponent, the consensus is that he could be fit to return later this year. He said:

"Probably at the end of [February], maybe. But I think the way my body heals it won't take that long. So at the end of next month, but I'm thinking earlier. We'll see. I'm gonna go do rehab now."

Check out Adesanya's interview below: