Israel Adesanya believes he missed a great opportunity within the UFC. The former middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg) was approached by the organization to replace Anthony Hernandez and face Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Vancouver , scheduled for October 2025. However, an injury suffered during training prevented him from stepping into the octagon and taking advantage of the chance to get closer to the top of the division again.
In a video posted on his official YouTube channel, the Nigerian revealed that the fight was practically set, but ended up being thwarted by a physical problem. According to Adesanya, he would have accepted the fight on short notice, something unprecedented in his career, which made the challenge even more exciting.
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“I was going to fight last year, but I got injured at the gym. That opportunity was taken from me. It would also have been a fight on short notice, and I’ve never done one of those, so it would have been exciting,” said Adesanya.
Reinier de Ridder was humiliated at UFC Vancouver.
Brendan Allen defeats Reinier de Ridder at UFC Vancouver . Photo: Instagram UFC reproduction.
With Israel Adesanya out of the card, Brandan Allen seized the opportunity and accepted to face Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Vancouver . After a strong first round from the Dutchman, the American noticed a drop in his opponent's performance, who ended up showing exhaustion and gave up the fight between the fourth and fifth rounds.
Israel Adesanya has a chance to return to the win column in the UFC.
Adesanya promotes UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Experiencing a difficult phase in the UFC, with three consecutive losses, Israel Adesanya will have the opportunity to bounce back at UFC Seattle . The former middleweight champion faces Joe Pyfer in the main event, scheduled for March 28th.
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