Former UFC champion Israel Adesanya is finally stepping into the octagon after months of staying away.
The Nigerian-New Zealand fighter has been out of action since suffering two straight losses to Sean Strickland and middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya is prepared to have another go in the octagon as he prepares to face Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Despite his past losses, there is no denying the fighter is a formidable opponent in the cage, as he managed to have five successful title defences before losing to Alex Pereira. Since this loss, the fighter has been unable to regain this title and has competed many times without the UFC championship up for grabs. Despite his opinions and talks about this, Adesanya is unbothered and says he’s less obsessed with claiming the title and more bothered about suffering a third loss.
“I’m not thinking like that,” Adesanya told MMA Fighting on behalf of Stake.com. “I’m just going in there ready to dominate. But i’m not thinking I don’t want another loss. That’s a weird way to frame it because I’m just thinking of what I don’t want. I’m in that frequency.
“No, I have not been thinking that. I’m just going to go in there and do what I do, do my best. I know what I am when I’m at my best.”
“When I fought Alex in Miami, I had that ‘I have to win’ [mindset],” Adesanya said. “I wasn’t saying I can’t lose. I was saying I have to win.
“Again, it’s a flip because you’re tapping into that. ‘Oh, I can’t lose, I can’t lose. Your brain just recognizes ‘lose, lose, lose.’ So when I fought Alex for the f*cking fourth time, I was just telling myself I have to win. I have to win. I was like win. Win. It’s just a different way of looking at things.”
The fighter recounts his experience facing rival Alex Pereira and gunning for a win. Adesanya says he was eager to win the fight and gain his title back but instead, he suffered three losses to the champ in kickboxing matches. He finally overcame the fighter in a rematch to reclaim the title before losing it to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
“The Last Stylebender” reveals he is not putting pressure on himself as he prepares to battle Imavov in Saudi Arabia. He admits he is mentally prepared and has put in the work for the fight, but he says no external force will affect his performance.
“There’s not really pressure,” Adesanya said. “I put pressure on myself when I get out there or when I get out to Saudi Arabia but when it comes down to the fight itself, I don’t feel too much pressure. Because there’s no belt on the line, but in the same breath, it feels like a title fight because you’re fighting me, and it’s five rounds. I still train for five rounds. Not really much has changed in that aspect.”
“Same as I’ve always had, I never really chased the belt,” Adesanya said. “I always knew it would come around. I knew what I was going to do in the game. And I knew it was going to come around.
“Again now, I just plan on keep winning and it will circle back. I’m not chasing the belt. But the belt chases me.”
Although the fighter says he plans on having fun while fighting, he plans to put up a good fight against Imavov. He says he won’t take it easy on the fighter and plans to bring his A-game.
“When I was coming up, I had guys who were at the top that I had to fight to get my chance,” Adesanya explained. “They gave me my shot. Now, I’m at this point in my career to give him a chance. He gets to fight Israel Adesanya, and it’s the biggest fight of his life.
“Can he rise to the occasion? We’re yet to find out. My job is to make sure he doesn’t. He’s a good fighter. He’s slick. He mixes his grappling with his striking well. He’s got all right footwork. This is different. When you get in there with me, it’s a lot different. The moment can get to some people. I don’t know if it will get to him before I do.
Dan Hooker Speaks On Friendship With Israel Adesanya
Dan Hooker and Israel Adesanya are some of New Zealand’s favourite MMA fighters, and both are teammates at Auckland’s City Kickboxing, so it is only fitting that these two fighters form a bond.
The two have fought side by side for years, with Hooker making his debut in 2014 while Adesanya made his in 2018. Although the two are both stars in their own rights, fans and some fighters have a misconception about Adesanya. His teammate Hooker has come out to clear the air. In a recent interview, Hooker spoke about his relationship with Adesanya and the Nigerian’s upcoming non-title fight with Imavov.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, like goes back to the day we die. It’s not one of those friendships where you have to message each other every day…we go through like a lot of similar things, obviously. I don’t tell the levels that he’s at, like the levels of fame that he’s at, is absolutely wild, and we are very different people.
“The funny part about it is people think he’s the bad one and I’m the nice one, and I’m just like thinking, ‘what the heck?’. Israel’s like one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. He is actually like a really nice, heartfelt dud,e and I’m just like, there’s no malice in it. It’s a competitive sport and he’s got no malicious intent like when he fights.”
