Israel Adesanya not expecting to be UFC champion again; has idea of when he wants to return to octagon

Israel Adesanya called his shot early.

“I’ve prepared for every single aspect of this. It’s easy for me. I know how to clock this game,” he told the Herald early in 2019.

At that point, he had established himself as a prospect to keep an eye on with three good wins in his rookie year with the promotion, including his first UFC main event.

It checked out.

Six years on, Adesanya has left a firm footprint on the world’s largest MMA promotion, becoming a global sporting superstar in the process. He is the only two-time middleweight champion in UFC history, with 12 consecutive title fights, the second-longest winning streak the division has seen (12), eight post-fight bonuses and a place in the UFC Hall of Fame awaiting him.

Reflecting on his mixed martial arts journey to date in a Q&A on his YouTube Channel, Freestylebender, the 35-year-old said he expected these things would happen.

“When I got to the UFC, I never chased the belt,” Adesanya said.

“I stand on that. I never chased the belt. I expected it. I expected to be champion, I expected to get to this point that I wanted to get to because of the work that I put in and my belief in myself and my mindset.

“I knew with everything that I was going to do, I was going to get there. I expected it.”

Now, entering the twilight years of his career, Adesanya still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

While he lost the belt to American Sean Strickland in a shock decision defeat in 2023, he returned in August 2024 with a strong performance against reigning champion Dricus du Plessis before ultimately being submitted in the fourth round.

He again looked sharp when he was back in action against surging French contender Nassourdine Imavov earlier this month, before being caught by an overhand right in the second round and falling to his third loss in a row.

It was a loss that saw a shift in Adesanya’s expectations.

“After the [Dricis du Plessis] fight I remember thinking ‘oh well, cool. It’ll come around. I don’t have to chase it, I know it will come around.’

“But now after this fight, I’m kind of just like ‘you know what? I’m not expecting anything.’ I’m not expecting to be the champ again.

“If what I’ve done in this game doesn’t make me happy already, then what will? So I’m not expecting it. If it comes, I will take it with both hands, but I’m not expecting it. I’m just chilling, training, living, doing well and when it happens, or if it happens, it happens. But I’m not expecting it.”

Israel Adesanya is the only two-time middleweight champion in UFC history. Photo / Michael Craig

Following the loss to Imavov, there have been plenty of fans and pundits suggesting it was time for Adesanya to hand up his gloves and move into the next phase of his life.

With more to give inside the octagon, though, Adesanya already has his sights set on a return – though at this stage exactly what that return looks like remains unclear.

There are plenty of good fights for him still to be had in the UFC, and as he is still ranked inside the middleweight top five, rising talents such as Caio Borralho (No 6) or Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez (No 9) could be among those looking to test themselves against the former gold standard of the division.

“What is next? To be honest, I don’t know. I have an idea of when I want to fight-ish, but again, for the first time – I don’t want to say in a long time because I haven’t really ever been in this position – so for me, I don’t know. I’m just taking it as it comes.

“It’s nice. Before I came on the scene I had to adapt and call a lot of audibles as things were playing along and call my next move and whatnot, but now... I’ll just plot.

“So, in the meantime, what’s next? I don’t know. Genuinely, I don’t know.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.