Adesanya to focus on non-title fights

Israel Adesanya is currently trending after his recent candid remarks about his future in MMA. Following a tough loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305, Adesanya (24-4) took a moment to reflect on his career and the motivations that drive him to compete. In a sport often dominated by the pursuit of titles and accolades, this deliberate perspective from a former middleweight champion and one of the biggest names in the franchise is quite refreshing to see. 

In a recent interview, the Nigerian-New Zealander stated that he would like to have some non-title fights next before aiming at the possibility of being a three-time middleweight champion. He gave this in response to questions about if his next fight would be a rematch against Dricus Du Plessis. 

He said: “Yeah, of course. That’ll come later on. But you know, right now, after I just fought Dricus, I don’t think it’s gonna be immediately. I’d rather just fight, not really for the belt, just fight for fighting sake.”

But Du Plessis is not the only opponent he has in mind, as Izzy clearly has his sight set on other guys in the division, including Rob Whitaker and Caio Borralho. 

Adesanya also said he was looking forward to getting back in the ring before the year runs out: “At the moment, I wanna fight one more time before the end of this year or early next year, but I don’t know yet. I’m just training, building off where we left off, and I’ll get the call at some point with a with a few options. I’m sure Dana will hit me up at some point.”

In all, the Last Stylebender is nowhere near done in the sport, and the decision to cut back on title fights might do his career some good as it could take pressure off his shoulders and allow him to enjoy the sport for what it is.