Israel Adesanya, a former middleweight champion of the UFC, has declared his intention to retire from MMA following his rematch with Brazilian MMA fighter Alex Pereira.
The Nigerian star lost his belt last year after suffering his third defeat in his boxing career at the hands of seasoned foe Pereira. Israel Adesanya has the impossible job of defeating Pereira at UFC 287 on April 9 in Miami.
Since entering the UFC, Adesanya has fought only once in the middleweight class, a battle he unfortunately lost. If he wins back his title later this year, he still has a lot of work to do.
The 33-year-old has stated that he plans to try to end his career on a high note and that he wants to reclaim his title as the division’s king.
Adesanya has had tremendous growth in the martial arts scene and is currently second in terms of compensation among UFC fighters, only behind his close friend Conor McGregor.
He will be hoping to exact revenge this time after being stopped in the final round of his two kickboxing defeats against the Brazilian. The Nigerian-born New Zealander still enjoys a 23-2 record.
Ahead of his rematch with Pereira, Adesanya held a press conference in Australia where he insisted that his days in the UFC are numbered.
He said: “I’ve been in the UFC for five years, right?”
“If I’m being honest, I’m not gonna be here in five years. I have other things to do in life. I love this sh*t and I’m f**king great at it but I never attach myself to this and I’m gonna leave on top.
“So yeah, that’s the place where I feel like you should leave. But again, I’ve been here five years in the UFC, (snaps fingers) it went like that. We’ll see how long I’m here for but I don’t think it’s gonna be five years.”
