Adesanya Refuses to End Career on a Losing Note

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has said he does not want to leave the sport after losing. He believes that pride and confidence in his skills are pushing him to keep fighting, even with four straight losses.

Adesanya spoke on Demetrious Johnson’s Mighty Cast podcast. He said he will not let his current results determine how his career ends.

His latest loss was at UFC Fight Night 271 in Seattle in March. There, rising American fighter Joe Pyfer stopped him with a technical knockout in the second round. This loss adds to his defeats against Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, and Nassourdine Imavov.

Even with these setbacks, the Nigerian-born fighter, who is 36 years old, remains strong. He said, “I don’t want this to be the writing of my story, because I feel like, yes, I took part in this, but this is not what I wanted to write. This is not how I wanted to end.

“This is not how I wanted to conclude this chapter of my life. So that’s why I’m still adamant that the grass is green on this side and I can tend to it, garden it properly and let it be lush and bloom properly.”

Adesanya admits that his ego is a big reason for his drive. He dismissed any idea that his past achievements mean he does not need to keep winning.

“The equity, like you say, it might be down, but we still up than most people who even came into this game. That’s something that I don’t want to rest on because I’m not going to be like, well, I’ve done what I had to do. ‘I can lose now.’ Nah, f*ck that. I know what I can do still,” he said.

After the fight with Pyfer, he made his plans clear. He told the crowd, “I will keep going again and again and again and again. I’m not leaving. You can’t stop me. I might get beaten, but I’d always remain undefeated.”

Adesanya entered the fight against Pyfer with a record of 24 wins and 5 losses. He controlled the first round, but Pyfer took him down in the second round. Pyfer moved to a better position and finished the fight with ground-and-pound until referee Herb Dean stopped it.

Adesanya's next fight is not yet confirmed. His fellow Nigerian fighter Kamaru Usman is set to face du Plessis, the man who beat Adesanya in 2024, on July 18 in Oklahoma City.