Israel Adesanya at a press conference on the eve of UFC 287. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @stylebender
Israel Adesanya believes he still belongs to the elite of world MMA. Without a win since April 2023 , the Nigerian is going through a delicate phase in his career, accumulating three consecutive defeats. Still, the former middleweight champion is betting on a comeback next Saturday (21), when he faces Joe Pyfer in the main fight of UFC Seattle.
In an interview with UFC News, Adesanya emphasized that he sees the fight as the ideal chapter to reaffirm his status in the sport. According to the Nigerian, his motivation is to prove, after a period away, that he remains among the best in the world, or even the top name in the division.
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“The story I’m writing is that, after a year off, I’ll come back after that period doing other things and show people that I’m still one of the best at this, if not the best, at the highest level. That’s the story I’m telling myself and that I’ll write this weekend,” said Israel Adesanya.
The Nigerian also recalled his last performance, when he was defeated by Nassourdine Imavov . The Nigerian points out that, despite a good initial performance, he ended up being hampered by a specific mistake. Now, the focus is on maintaining concentration throughout the fight, executing the trained techniques with precision and delivering a dominant performance in front of the audience.
“In my last fight, I was doing really well, but I made a judgment error. So now it’s about staying focused for a full 25 minutes and doing, under the lights, the things I train in the gym, those techniques that sometimes work with a high percentage. Now it’s just about performing and putting on a show. That’s what it’s all about,” concluded the Nigerian.
Israel Adesanya hasn't won since facing Alex Poatan at UFC 287.
Alex Poatan and Israel Adesanya face off in the octagon at UFC 287 (Photo: Instagram/UFC)
After being defeated by Poatan twice in kickboxing and once for the UFC middleweight title (up to 83,9kg), Adesanya had another opportunity against the Brazilian at UFC 287 , held in April 2023 in Miami. This time, however, the outcome was different.
After struggling with low kicks in the first round and pressure at the start of the second, the Nigerian surprised everyone by landing a precise counter-punch that knocked out his rival, regaining the division title against his former nemesis.
However, since his victory over Poatan, Adesanya has not won again. The former champion has fought three more times and was ultimately defeated by Sean Strickland , Dricus Du Plessis , and Nassourdine Imavov , losing by unanimous decision, submission, and knockout, respectively.
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