Following his recent back-to-back losses, Israel Adesanya is gearing up to return to the cage once again.
The former two-time champion has had a rough couple of months, suffering defeats to current champion Dricus Du Plessis and No. 1 contender Nassourdine Imavov. These losses weighed heavily on Adesanya, prompting him to take some time away from the octagon. But now, Adesanya is making a comeback and ready to take on “UFC bully”,former rival Sean Strickland.
During an interview alongside his trainers and motivational figure David Goggins, Adesanya opened up about his break from fighting and how he found his spark again, thanks in part to sparring with fellow Nigerian fighter and former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
“I didn’t spar after my last fight,” Adesanya said. “I didn’t spar, just ‘cause I was looking after my brain. Then I sparred with Kamaru Usman for the first time in months. I knew once I sparred, I would want to fight.”
“For me now, I told Hunter [Campbell], I told my coach — it’s time,” he said. “I just knew. I gotta get some get-back. Strickland. I’m gonna get him back.”
Adesanya didn’t sugarcoat his thoughts on the first fight with Strickland.
“He beat me,” he admitted. “Whooped my ass, badly.”
“I’m doing things different,” the 35-year-old continued. “I don’t wanna make excuses because he beat me. But I just wanna show him, did he beat me at my best? This time, I’m gonna come in and correct.”
Strickland became the third man to defeat Adesanya in MMA, but was the first to win every round against him. Adesanya now views the rematch as a chance to right a wrong , and to stand up to a bully. In recent months, Strickland has taken verbal jabs at Adesanya’s masculinity and even mocked his dog.
“This time I’m going to come in correct,” Adesanya said. “Everything he’s done since then… I used to get bullied a lot as a kid. He attacked a young me — the inner child. I want to protect him, and get some get-back for him. And I will.”
“He’s the embodiment of that of those old bullies,” Adesanya added. “So I wanna protect that inner version of myself and get some get-back on him.”
