Not only the fans but even Alex Pereira hasn’t been able to digest the fact that Israel Adesanya lost to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305. Having battled each other multiple times, ‘Poatan’ understandably speculated if ‘Izzy’ came into the fight in Australia with some kind of injury. For a moment, fans and MMA personalities would come to believe that Adesanya was indeed injured after he shared a response to Pereira’s speculations. Well, it turns out there was never any medical setback for ‘The Last Stylebender’.

When Alex Pereira’s speculation surfaced online, Israel Adesanya couldn’t help but respond on social media, claiming, “This guy knows me.” Without a doubt, such a statement led people to believe that indeed there was an injury, which was not what ‘Izzy’ meant as per his recent tweet.

Israel Adesanya shuts down injury rumors

The injury that Israel Adesanya has been rumored to have suffered before UFC 305 was a leg injury. That rumor took shape after Alex Pereira expressed how surprised he was that the Nigerian-born Kiwi fighter didn’t throw many kicks during the bout against Dricus du Plessis. But guess what? What Adesanya meant when he said that ‘Poatan’ knew him well was his assessment of his fighting style.

For context, we already know how many times Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have fought each other all around the world. That’s exactly what came to ‘Izzy’s mind when he decided to respond to the speculations about his injury. “I just said ‘he knows my style.’ Go touch some grass please,” tweeted Adesanya, asking fans to lay off the online space and stop such speculations.

With two losses in a row, Israel Adesanya may find himself fighting contenders in the current 185lbs title scene, and he might move down the pecking order. While the loss against Dricus du Plessis was painful, ‘Izzy’ claims to have freshened his mind up after his recent visit to Nigeria.

‘The Last Stylebender’ reveals ‘inspiring’ visit to his country of birth

It was in 2019 that Israel Adesanya last paid a visit to Nigeria, and now, fast-forward to 2024, he’s paid another visit, although this time, he returned after a loss. However, the people in Lagos seemed ecstatic about Adesanya’s return and greeted him with musical performances. Recently, the former 2-time champion revealed that visiting Nigeria proved to be a great idea as he feels revitalized from that trip, especially due to the love that people showered upon him.

“Energy never dies, it can be passed on and amplified. Bless the future, bless my people, their flame inspired me,” Adesanya tweeted just a few hours ago. Could this visit help him get back to the top? Well, that’s a question that will be answered in his next fight, but it seems unlikely that we will get to see him back in action again in 2024. With just a few months left, and some big-time clashes already in the works, Dana White may have nothing in store for ‘Izzy’.

What do you make of Israel Adesanya shutting down injury rumors? Drop your comments below.