Tag: Israel Adesanya

Eugene Bareman unsure what’s next for Israel Adesanya – or if he’ll keep fighting

If Israel Adesanya was to never fight again, Eugene Bareman is grateful for the journey they’ve had in the UFC.

If [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] was to never fight again, Eugene Bareman is grateful for the journey they’ve had in the UFC.

A former standout kickboxer, Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) made waves upon entering the UFC in 2018. His interim middleweight title-winning performance over Kelvin Gastelum earned them a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing, and his knockout of Robert Whittaker to unify the belts at UFC 243 was one of the best of his career.

Adesanya defended his middleweight title five times before losing it to rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281. However, he was able to avenge that loss and reclaim the belt when he knocked out Pereira in their rematch at UFC 287. Now Adesanya finds himself in unfamiliar waters on a three-fight skid and losing four of his past five.

While Adesanya hasn’t necessarily hinted at retirement, his City Kickboxing head coach, Bareman, admits he isn’t sure what’s next.

“Izzy is being Izzy, but I don’t know what he’s doing next, but that’s a good place to be,” Bareman told Combat TV. “Yeah, he’s just doing him. I don’t know. It’s just – yeah, if he was going to fight again, then he’s going to fight again. If he’s not, then we’ve been blessed, I’ve been blessed, the world’s been blessed, the team’s been blessed. But yeah, it’s completely up to him.”

Adesanya’s most recent outing came in February when he was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Fight Night 250 headliner in Saudi Arabia. Prior to that, he lost back-to-back title fights to Sean Strickland and current UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.

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Yoel Romero offers former UFC rival Israel Adesanya advice amid losing skid

Yoel Romero thinks Israel Adesanya needs to taper down in training if he wants to rebound.

[autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] needs to taper down in training if he wants to rebound.

Former UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) is on a three-fight losing skid after suffering a TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov in February.

Romero, who lost a decision to Adesanya in their 2020 title fight at UFC 248, wants to see “The Last Stylebender” take some time off before fighting again.

“Israel, he needed time, he needed rest,” Romero told Submission Radio. “That’s what I think. He needs to rest a little bit because too much damage. The problem is the UFC doesn’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, not too hard in the sparring. He needs to go to training like a therapy, recovery for the body. He doesn’t need now too much sparring. That is my opinion for Israel. If he wants to be back again, he needs to recover the body. But he’s still training very hard. It’s not good.”

Adesanya did take almost a year off after his shocking upset loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023. However, Adesanya failed to reclaim his middleweight title when he was submitted by Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 last August. He then returned almost six months later to face Imavov, but fell short once again.

As for Romero, the 47-year-old is still trucking. “The Soldier of God” takes on Ras Hylton in Saturday’s DBX 1 main event at The Hangar at Regatta Harbour in Miami.

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Roman Dolidze’s big win, Nate Diaz eyes UFC return, UFC London preview, more

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Roman Dolidze’s big win, Nate Diaz’s potential UFC return, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] made a big step Saturday. The veteran middleweight contender defeated former title challenger [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] in a unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night 254. After the win, Dolidze (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) called out [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]. Should the UFC consider those requests? We react to Dolidze’s win and what may come next for him.
  • From key bookings to bold comments, several things went down in last week’s new cycle. Top prospect [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) got his first ranked opponent, as he takes on former ONE dual champion [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC). Combat sports star [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] discussed his interest in returning to the UFC, while also criticizing the promotion for its lack of star power. We react to the recent news. 
  • The UFC returns to London this Saturday with UFC Fight Night 255. Former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] takes on top contender [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] in the main event. We break down this key welterweight clash, along with other bouts on the card.
  • To close out the show, well be doing a live fan Q&A where you’ll get your chance to ask a question and have it answered by the panelist. To submit a question to the show, simply submit it on the YouTube Live Chat. The best submissions will be displayed. 

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’49-46? What was that?’: Watch Israel Adesanya’s real time reaction to Alex Pereira’s UFC 313 title loss

Israel Adesanya’s real time reaction had Alex Pereira beating Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s real time reaction had [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] beating [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] at UFC 313.

Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) lost his light heavyweight title to Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Adesanya was particularly surprised by judge Sal D’Amato scoring it 49-46 in favor of Ankalaev.

The other two judges had it 48-47 for Ankalaev, with Pereira winning Rounds 1 and 5.

“Wow, 49-46? What was that?,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “He (Ankalaev) dropped him, won that Round 2. The holding, he didn’t really do much with the holding. What a stupid game we play. I had Alex winning, but I’m not sure. I’d have to watch it again or score the fight properly.

“The Round 2 might have played a factor just because he dropped him. But again, holding against the fence, I don’t really remember him getting any takedowns. It was a competitive fight, back-and-forth. It was good for both of them. They’re both going to level up, but I’m sure he’s going to get a rematch. Spin the block.”

An immediate rematch appears to be the direction the UFC will go after Dana White approved of the idea. Ankalaev is also open to running things back with Pereira.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DG-H0m9M55D/

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.

Israel Adesanya predicts former rival Alex Pereira wins UFC 313 by knockout

Israel Adesanya believes his former rival Alex Pereira will finish Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] has a well-documented competitive rivalry with [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], but that doesn’t get in the way of breaking down the UFC light heavyweight champion’s fights.

In the main event of UFC 313 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) in Las Vegas, Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) takes on Magomed Ankalaev, an opponent who has been labeled by many as the most challenging yet on his 205-pound title run. While Adesanya acknowledges the threats Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) brings to the octagon, he doesn’t see the title changing hands.

One particular area of the matchup stands out to Adesanaya, and that’s Pereira’s ability to land fight-changing kicks.

“Leg kicks – let’s just address the f*cking elephant in the room,” Adesanya said in a UFC 313 preview on his YouTube channel. “That’s going to be a factor in this fight. He might have to become a wrestler in this fight. He might have to go into his bag for this one. … I think ego’s a part of it where it’s like, talk, fight talk. He’s saying what he wants to say to get the fight. He’ll stand up with him. Yeah, you’ll start off standing, but I don’t think it’s going to keep standing. He’s going to clinch. He’s definitely going to try to take him down.

“I think Ankalaev is going to try to take him down. Can he keep him down? Alex Pereira is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu now. He’s exponentially getting better. I haven’t really seen him use it much in a fight because he hasn’t had to, but I’ve seen him roll with some people recently, and it was a lot different from what I remember. It seems like his flow is better on the ground.”

Pereira and Ankalaev have been going back and forth before the fight about agreements to stand and bang, and the champ even offered a bet to his challenger. While the bet was denied due to religious reasons, Ankalaev said he and Pereira can work out another charitable cause.

Once the cage door shuts at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday evening, Ankalaev’s pre-fight promises may go out the window. At Wednesday’s media day, Ankalaev simply said “we’ll see what happens” in regard to implementing his wrestling game.

“He’s going to shoot because he’s going to get tagged on the legs and again, could get clocked in the face,” Adesanya said. “If you say Magomed has good straight shots, that’s something Alex has to watch out for, and he switches a lot. Southpaw will be his best stance, for Magomed, but I think, like I said, Alex is starting to, I’ve seen it in his last fight with Khalil, his low left kick.

“… Maybe I’m banking too much on the leg kicks. I have experience with it. I know how painful it is and how effective it is. Regardless, I’ma go Pereira because, momentum. He is just on a tear right now. I like the way he’s even able to do it with the amount of travel he does.”

Adesanya certainly has experience with those kicks. The former UFC middleweight champ fought Pereira four times across kickboxing and MMA. Although their series record stands at 3-1, in their final meeting at UFC 287, Adesanya finally solved the Pereira puzzle by landing a knockout right hand to win the 185-pound title for the second time. With their once-heated rivalry put to rest, Adesanya and Pereira have no ill-will toward each other.

Adesanya sees the fight against Ankalaev ending early, with “Poatan” getting his hand raised and notching his fourth light heavyweight title defense.

“I just think this is going to go leg kicks, leg kicks, leg kicks, left hook,” Adesanya said. “Alex Pereira by KO. … He’s going to knock him out in the fourth or fifth round.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.

Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum interim title-fight war joins UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2025

A middleweight modern classic will claim its spot in the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

A middleweight modern classic will claim its spot in the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

During Saturday’s UFC 312 broadcast, the promotion announced that the 2019 interim title fight between [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame Fight Wing as part of the Class of 2025.

The fight was the co-main event of UFC 236, which took place April 13, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. On that night, Adesanya and Gastelum battled in a thriller that went back and forth for five rounds, with Adesanya winning by close unanimous decision to grab his first piece of the UFC 185-pound title.

“The fight between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 was one of the greatest fights I’ve ever seen in my life,” said UFC CEO Dana White. “This was an absolute war with the interim title on the line. Congrats to Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum on a fight that will always be remembered!”

UFC 236 was a fork-in-the-road moment in the careers of Adesanya and Gastelum. Adesanya, 35, went on to finish then-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in a title unifier and proceeded to successfully defend his belt five times before losing it to Alex Pereira by knockout. Adesanya reclaimed the belt by knocking out Pereira in a rematch before going on his current three-fight losing skid.

Gastelum, on the other hand, has gone 3-5 since losing to Adesanya. The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner has dealt with injuries while competing at both middleweight and welterweight.

Adesanya vs. Gastelum, which was named MMA Junkie’s 2019 Fight of the Year, will become the most recent bout added to the UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing. Cub Swanson vs. Doo Hoo Choi, from UFC 206 in December 2016, had been the most recent following its 2022 induction.

Last month, former “TUF” producer Craig Piligian was named the first member of the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2025 as part of the Contributor Wing.

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Turning over a new leaf? Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya enjoy UFC 312 next to one another

“Did we just become best friends?” – Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira at UFC 312 (maybe).

Etched in the history books as major rivals, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] may be turning over a new leaf.

At Saturday’s UFC 312 in Sydney, the two fighters were seated next to one another. Not only did they appear to tolerate each other’s presence, they seemed to enjoy it.

Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) posted a selfie video of himself and Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) from cageside. Each fighter played up grilling the camera. Additionally, photos of the two fighters were captured, including one where they both cracked smiles.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DF1TkVgySSA/

Pereira and Adesanya have competed against each other four times: twice in kickboxing and twice in MMA. Pereira went 2-0 against Adesanya in kickboxing, but the two fighters split results in MMA.

With Pereira currently holding the light heavyweight title and Adesanya still competing at middleweight, a lot would have to align for the two to face off in an MMA trilogy bout. But this is MMA, and crazier things have happened.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Analyst: Israel Adesanya being ‘a hair slower’ than prime is biggest obstacle to UFC rebound

Once reflexes go they never come back, and that’s Israel Adesanya’s biggest problem going forward, says one top coach.

Every fighter experiences a decline, but when it happens at the highest level of the sport, the flaws that lead to it can have an even greater spotlight.

That’s what coach [autotag]Sayif Saud[/autotag] sees happening to former UFC middleweight champion and future UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag], who saw his losing skid hit a career-worst three fights in a knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 this month.

After losing consecutive championship bouts to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, the once-longtime titleholder Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) found himself in a different spot. His streak of 12 consecutive title fights was over and he was in a non-title bout for the first time since 2019 against a surging contender in Imavov. He said all the right things heading in, and started with a strong first round. But then it fell apart.

Imavov landed a big punch on Adesanya in the second round that rocked “The Last Stylebender.” He pounded and got the knockout finish in what was a breakthrough moment for his career, but the post-fight narrative was firmly on Adesanya and what his future holds.

Saud, who is the head coach at Fortis MMA and was an Analyst of the Year nominee at the 16th annual World MMA Awards, saw this is a natural progression of Adesanya’s career. At 35 and with more than 100 combat sports bouts on his record, Saud thinks Adesanya is experiencing the slightest fallout in what were once his strongest attributes.

“I look at that fight and just think about how incredible Izzy has been and what he’s done,” Saud told MMA Junkie. “I see everybody and they’re like sad. It’s kind like mourning this great fighter. But this happens to every single fighter after a certain point, because they fight at the very elite level. The thing about these champions is once they get to that level, everybody you fight is on the way up and is the very best of the new breed or the new generation or whatever. Nassourdine is a good example of that. He’s five or six or seven years younger than Izzy, in his prime and hungry. It’s constantly like being at the very tip of the sphere against the most amount of danger, and how long can you do that for?

“At 35 years old, if you’re just a hair slower, just a hair, just like Roy Jones Jr. The guy was all reflexes. He would hit people and come back and they couldn’t even touch him. He got just a hair slower and that was the difference. So I think that’s what we’re seeing with Izzy. I still think he looked really, really good in the fight. I think he can beat tons of people. I think he can beat Nassourdine in a fight. But with the style that he has and the way that he strikes, in that division with the young guys coming up (it’s tough).”

Although Adesanya has yet to make a definitive statement about what his fighting future holds, his path to victories aren’t going to get any easier. Unless he takes a dramatic step down in competition, Saud said everyone who enters the octagon with Adesanya will be studying him closely and coming for his head in this vulnerable position.

Reigning champion Du Plessis said he thinks Adesanya does not have another title run in him, and Saud tends to agree we are witnessing a turnover with the elite at 185 pounds.

“We see a big shift coming in the middleweight division,” Saud said. “That was an example.”

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To hear more of Saud’s analysis of Adesanya’s loss and future, check out his complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.

Jon Anik praises Israel Adesanya amid UFC skid: ‘He has a Michael Jordan-like aura about him’

Jon Anik thinks former UFC champion Israel Adesanya has nothing left to prove.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] thinks former UFC champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] has nothing left to prove.

Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) suffered his third-straight loss when he was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 250 headliner at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “The Stylebender” has now lost four of his past five fights.

Adesanya, 35, is unsure what his fighting future holds. While the UFC play-by-play commentator questions how driven Adesanya would be to take on lesser competition, he thinks the former five-time defending UFC middleweight champion’s legacy is already set in stone.

He compared him to arguably the greatest and most popular athlete of all time, NBA legend Michael Jordan.

“He’s one of the greatest of all time, and his legacy is entrenched, and then you start to think about what are the reasons to fight on, your relative net worth,” Anik told Submission Radio. “I don’t think he needs money, he is one of the biggest stars in the company. What is his appetite for a three-round co-main event on pay-per-view against Brendan Allen right now? I can’t answer that question. I don’t know if he would rather do a five-round main event, I think the pay-per-view setting would make a lot of sense.

“And he’s a huge driver, he probably makes a ton of money to show, rightfully so, and he means big business. So, I don’t think this is the note upon which he wants to go out, but when you start to chase wins, when you start to chase the final green stripe on your Wikipedia page, it’s easier said than done. There are no easy outs in this middleweight division, but the dude’s the man. He has a Michael Jordan-like aura about him, and I’m just very grateful that I’ve had the chance to call all of his title fights.”

Adesanya holds notable wins over current light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira, former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker, UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva, and Yoel Romero.

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Din Thomas says Israel Adesanya’s fall happens to most UFC greats

So many UFC legends wind up on losing skids to close out their careers, and Israel Adesanya is no different.

[autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag] isn’t surprised to see [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] on a losing skid at this point in his career.

Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) suffered his third-straight loss when he was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 250 headliner at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After defending his UFC middleweight title five times, Adesanya has now lost four of his past five fights.

Thomas says many UFC legends wound up on losing skids to close out their careers, and “The Last Stylebender”  is no different.

“Well, that’s just the thing. You know when you make it to the top, and he (Adesanya) is done right? In my opinion at the top-top,” Thomas told MMA on Sirius XM. “But it happens to everybody. No one escapes that except for Jon Jones. It’s a handful, and they’re all on Mount Rushmore.

“Even Anderson Silva fell off. It happens to everybody. This might be a bad message to send to fighters, but if you make it to the top, it comes crashing down hard. Harder than if you don’t make it to the top, and you kind of teeter around the UFC for a while.”

Thomas explained how the likes of himself and co-host Alan Jouban never had to deal with the pressure that UFC champions had to when suffering a loss.

“When you make it to the top top, your losses are always magnified,” Thomas added. “Everybody’s watching them and it looks like a hard fall. It happened to Chuck Liddell, it happened to B.J. Penn, it happened to all the greats, and that’s just what’s happening to Izzy right now.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.