Adesanya ready to make return

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has said that he is far from done with the sport as he plans to fight again soon.

Adesanya’s career in recent times has been marked by back-to-back losses against some of the top-ranked men in the division.

Despite having just one win in his last five fights, The Last Stylebender believes he still has some fight left in him. 

Some months ago, Israel’s head coach, Eugene Bareman, said that the 36-year-old had yet to make a decision regarding his future, amidst rumours that Adesanya was planning to retire, following his last loss to Nassourdine Imavov.

It also did not help that Izzy remained silent for a very long time and failed to address any rumours or speculation about his next move. Now, he has come out to talk.

Speaking with Sun Sport, Adesanya explained that he had been training and was ready for another fight. He said, “I sparred with Kamaru in Miami when (Alexander Volkanovski) got his belt back. And that was my first sparring back. I took some time out to just, you know, chill and let the brain relax. And yeah, I just knew straight away. So I’ve been itchy for a while bro, I’m ready to go.”

When asked if he would fight Paulo Costa for a second time, Adesanya said it was an idea he was cool with: “I don’t have to say much. I’d be like, ‘Cool, alright, that sounds fun’ and give him a chance at redemption like people have done for me as well. and Strickland, if he wants to fight, sure. If not, it’s alright.”

If Adesanya really plans to make a comeback, then finding an opponent for the former two-time champion won’t be a hard task. There are lots of men in the division who would not miss a chance to share the octagon with Izzy based on his past achievements alone. 

But if he does return to the sport, the possibility of a title fight will be quite difficult to secure, having lost chances in the past. Adesanya may not be the fighter he once was, but he will always make a worthy opponent, no matter the fight.