Israel Adesanya’s ex-opponent shares concerns after brutal losses: “UFC don't give you time"

Israel Adesanya has suffered three defeats in a row for the first time in his 15-year combat sports career. The former UFC middleweight champion reigned supreme over the division from 2019 until 2022, defending his belt against notable opponents like Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker, and Paulo Costa.

His former foe, Romero, has now shared some advice with 'The Last Stylebender' following his recent change of results.

The Nigerian-born Kiwi lost his title to Sean Strickland in unexpected fashion at UFC 293. He returned to face Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight belt at UFC 305, where he was submitted for the first time in his career. Most recently, he faced surging contender Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia, where Adesanya was knocked out.

In the wake of Adesanya's three-fight losing skid, 'Soldier of God' shared his thoughts on the former champion's next move during an interview with Submission Radio. He said:

"He needs time, he needs rest. That's what I think, he needs to rest a little bit because [he took] too much damage. But, the problem is the UFC don't give you time. When the UFC calls you, you need to come because you have a contract. Now, he needs to think about training. Not too hard in sparring, he needs to go to training like it's therapy. Let the body recover."

Catch Yoel Romero discussing Israel Adesanya below (9:25):

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Israel Adesanya's coach hushes fans calling for retirement: "A renewed hunger"

Israel Adesanya's third consecutive loss has seen many fans label him as finished. 'The Last Stylebender' performed well in round one of their bout, but a mistake he made in the second was pounced upon by Imavov, who landed some brutal strikes en route to a TKO win.

With fans having declared that the former champion should lay down his gloves, Adesanya's longtime striking coach Mike Angove fired back at those fans during a recent interview with Sky Sports NZ.

Angove said:

"That fight was going great until it wasn't. That's the nature of where we're at. And that was a genuine mistake... Izzy's back in the gym, he's got a renewed hunger. People are keen to write his eulogy, to which I would say, 'Bleep off.' Let him write his own story because he's quite capable of it. People are too quick to base their judgement on their incredibly intimate knowledge of what goes on at the gym... Because you know that from your grandma's basement."

Catch Mike Angove discussing Israel Adesanya below (4:30):