Israel Adesanya still has unfinished things in the UFC.
Just behind Anderson Silva as the largest middleweight of all time, former UFC champion Israel Adesanya has been going without victory for a while. His last victory A photo-perfect Ko by Alex Pereira in April 2023, Adesanya has since lost the title and dropped his last three fights in the Octagon.
Adesanya was completed by the current champion Drus Du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov in back-to-back trips, so that the future of the hunter was questioned.
With a much needed break, it seems that things are going in the right direction with Adesanya who tells his coach that he wants to fight again.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Tim Welch says that Israel Adesanya wants Sean Strickland Rematch
Adesanya has recently trained with a colleague -FC champion in Sean O'Malley while he prepares to rematch Merab Dvalishvili on UFC 316.
Together with O'Malley for the ride, his head coach Tim Welch, who apparently gained insight into who Adesanya wants for his comeback fight: #2 Middleweight Competier and former enemy Sean Strickland.
“Something else with Izzy, he said he enjoys his life a bit,” Welch said on his YouTube channel.
“He used to take all these back-to-back fights. If you look at some of the old pay-per-views, every other pay-per-view, he was the headliner of.
“He seemed that he wanted that Strickland back,” Welch said about his conversations with Adesanya.
Adesanya's career-losing skid all started with Sean Strickland on UFC 293 and he wants revenge.
Israel Adesanya was not at 100% for Sean Strickland on UFC 293
It was five months after the title of Adesanya about Alex Pereira returned when 'The Last Stylebender' refused to take a break. Adesanya was finally matched with Strickland for more than a year after they met at the UFC 276 press conference with the American who spoke all kinds of waste about the champion.
The articulate strickland supported his words by almost eliminating Adesanya in the opening round. Strickland then won the title by decision after a five -round shutout on the feet and pulled the ultimate upset.
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Mentally and physically, many believed that it was an 'outside the night' for the Adesanya champion.
“They didn't say any apologies, but his knee was f **** up,” Welch said about Adesanya's previous training camp for Strickland.
“He was just so burned. It was just a bad night where he didn't show up.”
Strickland was the 5th title fight of Adesanya in 18 months, making it one of the most active champions in the UFC history.
“He said juice [Georges St-Pierre] Gave him good advice like not just these fights. Make sure you are hungry to argue, especially if you are at this level and you have enough money. “