Next week, the two-time UFC middleweight champion returns to action against fellow top-five-ranked athlete Nassourdine Imavov in Saudi Arabia, but this time things are different.
After 12 title fights in a row, this will be the firsttime since February 2019 Adesanya hasn’t fought with a belt on the line. It will also be the first time since his first UFC main event in July 2018 that fans won’t have to pay a pay-per-view fee to watch Adesanya in action, with the bout headlining a Fight Night card.
“Am I a gatekeeper now? I don’t know. I don’t mind. I’m having fun, doing my thing, still getting paid, so we’ll go in there and do our thing,” Adesanya told the Herald.
“But I’m going to have fun. More than I have in a long time. My first UFC main event was five rounds against Brad Tavares. In that fight, I had a lot of fun. That’s where I’m at – I just want to freestyle sh**. You know, ‘Stylebender’.
“Did I go for a takedown? I can’t recall, but I did get him in a few submissions. This time, I’m a lot older now, a lot wiser, the energy’s a little bit different when it comes to getting ready for a fight. You guys know what this is, but the fun bit’s going to be the fight. Imavov’s just a cool, calm guy. The fun bit’s going to be the fight where we get some body language going.”
Israel Adesanya fought in 12 UFC title fights in a row between April 2019 and August 2024. Photo / Michael Craig
In Imavov, Adesanya meets a well-rounded opponent looking to continue to push himself into the title picture on the back of a three-fight winning streak – all of those wins coming against ranked opponents.
However, as Adesanya is looking forward to being able to prioritise fun again, he said for Imavov, it’s the biggest fight of his career.
“Definitely, the pressure’s on him. But again, I always put pressure on myself when I get there because I’m Israel Adesanya. There’s always that pressure, but he’s going to have to be the one rising to the occasion – if he has it in him. I have it in me to stop him.”
With 12 title fights between Fight Night main events, Adesanya’s mentality towards the sport between the two assignments has shifted drastically.
The bout against Tavares – an impressive lopsided decision win – was one of just four in which he attempted a takedown. It saw him attempt a submission for the first time in his UFC career, and he genuinely looked like he was having a great time inside the octagon.
It was just his third UFC fight and he was looking to stay active, fire his shots and climb the ladder. Adesanya fought four times that year and remained extremely active when he was a champion.
“When I first got in the game, you have to hit the iron while it’s hot. Strike and let everybody know who you are. Like, ‘He just fought two months ago’, or, ‘He just fought last month’. That type of sh**,” he said.
“Now, I’m at a stage where I don’t need to do that. I’ve established myself, etched my name in history, [and am] still getting better, still growing as a martial artist; now I just want to rack up bodies, rack up highlights, and rack up cash.”
Israel Adesanya fought seven times in his first two years with the UFC – two of those being title fights. Photo / Photosport
This time, it’s been six months between bouts for the 35-year-old after his submission loss to reigning middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis last August, and he said that’s likely to be the sort of pace he’ll maintain for the rest of his career, having now made his mark on the sport and put together a hall-of-fame-level resume.
“That’s the blueprint that worked for me. Now, I don’t need to do that any more. I don’t need to say much. I feel different, I feel a lot more at peace. I feel like I’m just in my own lane, if that makes sense.
“I’m in my own lane. I don’t have to follow the trends or do whatever these motherf*****s are doing. I’m in my own lane and I’m doing my own thing. I like it. I’m attaining my peace.”
However, that’s not to say he doesn’t still have a few goals left to tick off the list.
