Yoel Romero thinks Israel Adesanya jumped the gun with his UFC return last month.
Once undefeated at 20-0, former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya finds himself on the worst losing skid of his career with three-straight defeats. After becoming the first man to stop rival Alex Pereira in the UFC, Adesanya would lose his title to Sean Strickland by decision in 2023.
It’d only get worse Adesanya, finished in back-to-back fights against the champion Dricus du Plessis and new #1 contender Nassourdine Imavov.
Adesanya was knocked out by Imavov in February, five-and-a-half months removed from his career-first submission loss to du Plessis last year.
Yoel Romero says Israel Adesanya ‘needed time’ after losses
If you know Israel Adesanya, you know he loves to keep an active schedule in fighting. Adesanya was one of the most active UFC champions in recent memory, attempting three title defenses in 2022 alone.
The 11-month layoff between his fights with Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis is the only extended break Adesanya has taken in the UFC.
A former foe of Adesanya’s, Yoel Romero believes Adesanya made a mistake in returning to the Octagon so soon following his losses.
“Israel, he needed time,” Romero said of Adesanya’s losing skid. “He needed rest a little bit. That’s what I think. He need to rest a little bit because too much damage.
“But the problem is the UFC no give you time. When the UFC call you, you need to come because you have a contract…”
Adesanya has fought 18 times since entering the UFC in 2018, sharing the Octagon with the likes of Robert Whittaker (twice), Alex Pereira (also twice), Anderson Silva and of course, Yoel Romero, who he fought and beat to a lackluster decision in 2020 – the final UFC fight with a crowd before the COVID-19 pandemic put the promotion on lockdown.
Yoel Romero warns Israel Adesanya against hard sparring
After many wars in the UFC, former title challenger Romero still fights world champions to this day, boasting an incredible shape at 47.
‘The Soldier of God’ advised Adesanya, a 35-year-old veteran in his own right, to treat training like ‘therapy’ as he attempts to return to the fighter he once was.
“Now he needs to think about training not too hard in the sparring. He need to go to training, like therapy, recover for the body. He don’t need it now– too much sparring. In my opinion for Israel, he wants [to get] back again, he need recover to [his] body.”
Israel Adesanya has only suffered two KO losses in his 29-fight MMA career, Nassourdine Imavov the second fighter to do so at UFC Riyadh last month.