Adesanya in a UFC promotional poster. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Experiencing the worst phase of his career, Israel Adesanya is in no hurry to return to the UFC. Away from the octagon since March, the former middleweight king (up to 83,9 kg) has been working as a YouTuber and fight commentator, meaning he's been closely following what's happening in the UFC. And one decision by the company, in particular, displeased the Nigerian.
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In his appearance on the 'Precision' podcast, Adesanya, without hesitation, disapproved of the UFC not renewing Michael Page 's contract . It's worth noting that the strikers are friends. In any case, the former UFC champion makes it clear that his opinion is not based on his relationship with the Englishman, but rather on what Page has done in the octagon. 'MVP' won five of his six fights for the company.
It's true that the athlete was far from being the showman he was in Bellator. Therefore, since Page was hardly exciting in the octagon and was even booed in his fights, the UFC lost interest and released him in September. Even so, Adesanya believes that the organization should have acted differently, because the professional was doing the most important thing: winning.
“The UFC is a different business. They evaluate each case individually. I've dealt with UFC executives and heard stories about how they close deals. I'm sure there are many 'bodies buried in the desert.' But, in Page's case, I think they made a mistake, because he only lost to Garry, who had a close fight against Makhachev, the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter.”
"Page is a tough man to kill, and anyone who fights him knows this because I've done it to other people. I don't have the same style as Page, but I've been in fights where I could clearly see that the guys didn't want to attack me, they were just waiting. He was waiting for me to come to him, but I'm touching him, landing several blows and thinking: 'Man, I'm hitting you. You need to come to me.'"
“Athletes need to be allowed to evolve, given time. Look at Page's case. Yes, I understand he was a big investment for Bellator, he was being well paid and he was delivering, since he was winning. But maybe the UFC wasn't seeing what they were seeing in Bellator and expected that kind of excitement. Look what he did against Holland and Cannonier. I find that exciting.”
Adesanya's history in MMA
Israel Adesanya , 37, made history as UFC middleweight champion and became an MMA legend. The Nigerian began his career in the sport in 2012, debuted in the company in 2018, and won the belt in 2019 and 2023. In his first reign in the division, the renowned striker defended the title five times. Currently, the athlete is ranked ninth in the category.
In this discipline, 'The Last Stylebender' built a record of 24 wins, 16 by knockout, and six losses. His main victories were over Alex Poatan , Anderson Silva , Derek Brunson , Jared Cannonier , Kelvin Gastelum , Marvin Vettori (twice), Paulo Borrachinha , Robert Whittaker (twice), and Yoel Romero.
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