'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAv/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAyqMEP//EACAQAAEDBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQREhQhAAUikaL/2gAIAQEAAT8Axocbq+1qxkLhy0R0LNWwsbAJQCae+Yzbnnfbdu1Leh9c/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAR/9oACAECAQE/AADW/8QAGBEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEREmH/2gAIAQMBAT8As3Cw/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Israel Adesanya has revealed that he will not wait until 2027 to return to the octagon.
Adesanya was last seen in action against Sean Strickland at UFC 293. In what was his fourth fight in 14 months, 'The Last Stylebender' suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Strickland and lost his middleweight title.
Following his loss, Adesanya shocked the MMA world, announcing that he'd be taking an extended hiatus and claiming that he would return to fighting in 2027. Since then, he has made it known that he said it as a joke.
Trending
Recently, the former UFC middleweight champion revealed the expected timeline for his return. While in conversation with legendary boxing coach Teddy Atlas, Adesanya spoke about how fighting four times in 14 months took a toll on him, saying:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
“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. Next year when I fight, I know I’ll fight. 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.”
Catch Israel Adesanya's comments in the video below (40:28):
Daniel Cormier names one fight that will motivate Israel Adesanya to return
Having fought the best that the middleweight division has to offer for years, Israel Adesanya certainly has nothing left to prove, and finding the motivation to fight at the highest level continuously might be hard to find.
However, former UFC champion Daniel Cormier recently spoke about one fight that would motivate Adesanya to return. Speaking about it in a YouTube video, Cormier suggested that the UFC should book a fight between 'The Last Stylebender' and Dricus du Plessis. 'DC' said:
"If you're the UFC, I say you save that fight. You save Adesanya [vs.] du Plessis at all costs. Because, I believe that's one that will motivate Adesanya because if you want to know my thoughts, Adesanya did not seem motivated for [Sean] Strickland."
Catch Daniel Cormier's comments about Israel Adesanya below (12:01):
