Former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya has declared his intention to return to the Octagon and has called out Sean Strickland for a rematch to reclaim his former glory following a string of setbacks.
The 35-year-old suffered a devastating knockout defeat against Nassourdine Imavov in February, fuelling speculation on social media about whether the former middleweight king could ever return to his peak form. But Adesanya has made it clear that he’s not done yet.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, The Last Stylebender opened up about his recovery process and renewed hunger to compete.
“I didn’t spar after my last fight,” Adesanya said.
“I did so well in the camp and the fight, even though I didn’t get the result I wanted. I was still proud of how I worked. So I looked after my brain; no sparring. But when I was in Miami watching [Volkanovski] get his belt back, I sparred with Kamaru Usman for the first time in months. And I knew once I sparred, I was like, ‘Man, I’ve gotta fight!’”
Adesanya revealed he already has an opponent in mind: the man who started his recent downward spiral.
“I told my coach, it’s time. I just knew. And I have a feeling about who I want to fight. You’ll like this one. Strickland, I’m going to get it back.”
Adesanya is on a three-fight losing streak, beginning with his shocking upset loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Fresh off closing the chapter on his rivalry with Alex Pereira, Adesanya was heavily favoured to retain his title.
Instead, Strickland dominated him over five rounds, securing a unanimous decision victory with scores of 49-46 across the board to claim the middleweight crown.
