Why is Israel Adesanya taking a break? All about 'The Last Stylebender's' hiatus from the sport

Israel Adesanya is the second-greatest middleweight in UFC history but has not picked up a title defense since 2022. Now 1-2 in his last three outings, 'The Last Stylebender' has publicly stated his desire to take an indefinite break from fighting "to look after" himself.

After three years of being the undisputed middleweight champion, Adesanya lost his title to old kickboxing rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281. He would triumphantly regain the belt five months later at UFC 287 only to lose it once more.

As the main event of UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia, Adesanya was on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in promotional history as Sean Strickland shockingly dominated him for five rounds.

Since the stunning defeat, Adesanya took time away from the sport before breaking the silence to state his desire to take an extended leave. The former champion was adamant that he would not retire but confirmed he would 'not fight for a long time.'

---

Why is Israel Adesanya taking a break?

After over a decade as a professional fighter, Israel Adesanya confirmed in October 2023 that he would not return to the Octagon until he felt he was mentally ready.

Adesanya initially stated that he would not fight until 2027 but refuted that claim and later told a reporter in January that he would return to training in February.

After losing to Sean Strickland, Adesanya admitted that he had been too active in recent years and needed time to mentally reflect as a 34-year-old with over 100 total combat fights on his record across MMA, kickboxing and boxing.

In the interview with New Zealand-based combat sports channel CombatTV, Adesanya also said he was taking the time to heal from nagging injuries to come back fully healthy.

---

Who will Israel Adesanya fight in his return?

Upon his return to fighting, Israel Adesanya will have his preference in opponent with several viable options on the table. In the time since his last fight, Adesanya's South African rival Dricus Du Plessis has become the middleweight champion, thus setting up a potential opportunity to directly enter a title fight should he desire to come back soon.

Before the UFC 300 main event was announced, many predicted the fight in the prestigious headline spot would have been Adesanya and Du Plessis. 'Still Knocks' was the originally intended opponent for Adesanya at UFC 293 but turned the fight down due to the relatively quick turnaround time after knocking out Robert Whittaker.

'The Last Stylebender' was also called out by Alex Pereira, who has since become the UFC light heavyweight champion. Adesanya last avenged his previous defeat to Pereira by knockout, but 'Poatan' still owns two kickboxing wins over him while the two are 1-1 in MMA.

As of April 11, Adesanya does not have a confirmed return fight and has not set a target date to re-enter competition.