Israel Adesanya plans to take an extended hiatus from MMA competition after he lost the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland.
UFC star Israel Adesanya said Friday that he is planning to step away from the Octagon for an extended period of time.
Speaking on New Zealand radio show The Rock (h/t Nick Baldwin of The Score), Adesanya said that while he doesn’t plan to retire, he wants to take some time off and make improvements before he returns to action:
إسرائيل أديسانيا من UFC: لن أقاتل "لفترة طويلة" بعد الخسارة أمام شون ستريكلاند.
UFC's Israel Adesanya: I Won't Fight 'For a Long Time' After Loss to Sean Strickland.
#PFL#martialarts #bjj#mma #ufc #Fighter pic.twitter.com/nyeVQZQuDe— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) October 14, 2023
“I’m going to take time to look after myself, and I’m not going to fight for a long time. I’m definitely not going to retire because I know me—I’m not leaving like that. I know me.
“But if I did, I’m fine. I don’t need to prove anything else. But I know what I can do, and I know what I can change in my lifestyle to make my body adapt to where I need to be. So I’m going to heal myself up. You won’t see me fight for a long time.”
In his most recent fight, the 34-year-old Adesanya lost the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision at UFC 293 last month.
Adesanya has long been one of UFC’s best pound-for-pound fighters, boasting a career professional record of 24-3 with 16 wins by way of knockout.
The Last Stylebender made his UFC debut in 2018 and went on to win his first nine bouts with the promotion, bringing his career record to 20-0 at that point.
A two-time UFC middleweight champion, Adesanya is only 4-3 over his past seven fights, losing to Jan Błachowicz, Alex Pereira and Strickland.
The Błachowicz loss was Adesanya’s light heavyweight debut, and he shook off the defeat quickly, beating Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier in succession thereafter.
Adesanya’s first middleweight loss was a fifth-round technical knockout defeat against Pereira last year, but Adesanya bounced back by winning the middleweight title back from Pereira in a rematch.
Although Adesanya’s first title reign included five successful defenses, his second reign ended almost as soon as it started, as he lost the championship to Strickland in his first defense.
Adesanya has been one of UFC’s most active fighters, competing in multiple bouts every year since his debut.
He fought three times in 2022 and twice in 2023, which suggests that a break could serve him well and ensure he is refreshed and healthy for his next contest.
If Strickland is able to remain UFC middleweight champion moving forward, Adesanya may be in line for a rematch once he decides he is ready to return.
