There once was a time when Israel Adesanya dominated the Octagon against his opponents. His strength was highlighted when he finally knocked out Alex Pereira and reclaimed his middleweight championship title. But it seems like ‘The Last Stylebender’ has been on a steep decline ever since he lost against Sean Strickland. While most of the fighting community stood beside the Kiwi at UFC Saudi Arabia, it was Nassourdine Imavov who secured a win via KO. Given his recent performances, many thought that retirement was the next step for Adesanya. 

Even the former middleweight star, Michael Bisping, was of a similar opinion. During a conversation with Paul Felder on episode #621 of the Believe Me You podcast, ‘The Count’ weighed in on why Adesanya should actually opt for retirement. Well, it was true that, unlike Bisping, Adesanya hadn’t had any serious injury. Bisping on the other hand lost his eye because of the damage in his last fight. ‘Izzy’ wasn’t sitting around in pain while talking on a podcast. But it was certain that he was way past his prime. 

Bisping continued, “He’s lost 4 out of his last 5 now, which is a crazy stat. He’s had a legendary career. The second-best middleweight of all time. These are just the facts and the stats. I believe he was making around 3, maybe more, million dollars per fight for quite some time now. So, he’s got loads of money in the bank. He doesn’t need to do this.” 

However, it’s not always the money that matters the most to a mixed martial artist. As if he already knew the outcome of the bout against Imavov, Israel Adesanya said before the fight, “I feel, honestly, God forbid if I lose my next 10 fights, it wouldn’t affect my legacy.” And that definitely means that he does not want to retire anytime soon. But did Imavov feel like Adesanya should retire in their last fight? 

Nassourdine Imavov weighs in on Israel Adesanya’s retirement talks

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Debate

During the post-fight press conference at UFC Saudi Arabia, a reporter asked ‘The Sniper’ if he believed that ‘The Last Stylebender’ should actually retire. The #2 middleweight contender replied, “No [he shouldn’t retire], I think he’s in really good shape and I think he should keep fighting, he can be [back to] winning fights for sure.” Well, fighting Adesanya was nothing short of a breathtaking sensation for the Dagestani. After all, Adesanya was a legend, and Imavov had just defeated a legend. 

UFC CEO Dana White said, “I thought Izzy looked incredible right up until he got caught, looked good and was picking him apart staying on the outside… His takedown defense looked incredible, chopping that calf kick – he couldn’t have had a better first round and then he got caught [in the second].” But one thing was certain. Imavov seemed to know that Adesanya could have performed better in Saudi Arabia. 

With four back-to-back losses, jumping back to his former glory might seem a bit difficult. But being an avid follower of anime, Adesanya has learned that he has to keep on trying and striving to become the best. However, his 3rd title run might not come to fruition any time soon. He’s already 35 and has to work on his shortcomings and rise back up. 

What do you think about Adesanya’s future in the MMA realm? Do you think he should retire and start coaching the young ones? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.