Saturday night was a pivotal moment for Israel Adesanya. On a three-fight losing spree since beating Alex Pereira in April 2023, ‘The Last Stylebender’ hasn’t been the same. Either due to a lack of motivation or age dwindling his sharpness, Adesanya has been on a decline. So, a fight against Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle appeared to be his last shot at his future in the promotion.
But as the fight wore on, it became increasingly clear that the former middleweight champion wasn’t quite back on his winning ways. At the age of 36, the New Zealander failed to break Pyfer’s three-fight winning streak to stop his own skid. However, now that he has lost yet another bout, what’s next for Israel Adesanya?
Israel Adesanya might be forced to retire
While ‘The Last Stylebender’ doesn’t plan on hanging up his gloves, former champion Henry Cejudo believes a loss would definitely result in Adesanya’s retirement.
“Yes,” Cejudo told Kamaru Usman. “It depends on what fashion, but I think so… Maybe it’s not so much the talent, but it’s more the desire, and it’s more of, I want to do other things with my time now. There [are] things that you enjoy. And I think Israel’s already there… So, yeah, I do believe that if Israel does lose, this is his last dance.”
But if Adesanya still intends to continue fighting, Jared Cannonier could be a decent option. Cannonier is currently ranked No. 10 and has lost three of his last four fights. Adesanya once defeated him, so a rematch to help both bounce back makes sense. Other than that, Adesanya could look further down the rankings.
No. 15-ranked Roman Dolidze, who is on a two-fight losing streak, could be an attractive fight for Adesanya.
