Israel Adesanya believes his MMA career will end ‘in a few years’.
The former two-time middleweight champion is coming toward the end of his legendary run in the sport – but he’s still got a few things he wants to achieve before calling it a day.
A recent fourth-round submission loss against 185lb king Dricus du Plessis prevented ‘The Last Stylebender’ from becoming the first three-time middleweight champion in UFC history.
Still, that goal remains on his mind ahead of another comeback fight in 2025.
Israel Adesanya reveals his new MMA goals
A second consecutive defeat and third loss in four fights has left Israel Adesanya in a strange position after his dominant run as the best middleweight in MMA.
The 35-year-old is in limbo right now, but he likes it. After initially losing his title to Sean Strickland in September 2023, Adesanya still felt like he was the man to beat.
However, his latest defeat against Du Plessis has left the Nigerian-born New Zealander with a sense of freedom that could make him very dangerous as a middleweight contender
“I actually have no idea, that’s the thing. And it’s nice to know that,” Adesanya said when he was asked what’s next during a recent appearance on the FLAGRANT podcast.
“Now I’m in a spot where it’s like, ‘Who do I fight? When do I fight?’ Because I’m only doing main events, five-rounders, and title fights. That’s all I’ve done for the last how many years.
“It’s kind of nice to not have that be the focus now. Just fight, show off, make money. We’ll see. I’m excited… I know I’m going to choke a motherf***** out. I know I’m going to get one of those.”
Israel Adesanya wants to retire before his 40th birthday
Israel Adesanya insists he wants to be retired from fighting before he’s 40 years old.
UFC will be rejoicing at the thought of at least a few more years of Adesanya fights.
“You’ve got to break up with fighting before fighting breaks up with you,” he added.
“When will I? I don’t know. I said at 20-something, ‘When I’m 34 I’m done with this game.’ I’m 35 now. But I know I’m still over the halfway point and I’m definitely a few years away, maybe three years away. But who knows?
“I know I don’t want to be fighting at 40.”
Adesanya is still ranked #2 in the UFC middleweight division. A big win against a top-level opponent early next year would set him up for another chance at MMA’s greatest prize.
Only time will tell if he’ll ever get a submission win or become a three-time UFC champion.