Israel Adesanya reveals his return timeline to Alex Pereira, discusses loss against Nassourdine Imavov 

Israel Adesanya has been on a three-fight losing streak since losing his middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. The former champion is now looking forward to his next fight as he revealed his return timeline to Alex Pereira.

Adesanya faced Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia in his most recent fight. Imavov delivered a flurry of punches in the second round to win the fight by a TKO in a huge upset. The former rivals were seen at UFC 312 sitting together and watching the pay-per-view event.

'The Last Stylebender' discussed his fight with Imavov and also hinted at a return to the octagon in the later part of this year. In a video posted on the former champion's YouTube channel, he said:

"I felt safe there honestly like the leg kicks were landing each and everything was... yeah I felt amazing, so again, I'll do it again. But, I don't know who I'm going to fight next but I'll fight later in the year."

Check out Israel Adesanya's conversation with Alex Pereira below (4:14):

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UFC legend Chael Sonnen calls for Israel Adesanya to retire

Israel Adesanya is one of the most decorated UFC middleweight fighters, having defended the title five times and headlining 12 pay-per-view events.

Since dropping his title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, the former middleweight champion has struggled to return to the win column. Taking note of his age and his current position in the middleweight division in UFC, Chael Sonnen took to his YouTube channel and called for 'The Last Stylebender's' retirement.

"Izzy really is in a very fast spot right now in terms of it is perfect timing. Like nobody's wanna say goodbye to a star like Adesanya, but the rules of the sport say, 'you stick around, however great you're, you stick around until you pass the torch to somebody else' but Izzy did that. There is not a meaningful opponent for Adesanya."

Sonnen continued:

"I realize that Izzy is clever and he could go out and create one quickly but he doesn't have one yet and perhaps he's not going to create one. Perhaps there isn't somebody on roster that he hasn't already tangled with that he's just dying to throw punches at. I mean it does seem there are a lot of things that are in line where a massive star could step aside and it would be the right time."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Israel Adesanya below (3:58):