Israel Adesanya recalled a conversation with UFC CEO Dana White that turned out to be prophetic.
Before Adesanya defended his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, White warned him that his high level of activity and willingness to face any opponent might start to impact his performance. Adesanya subsequently lost to Strickland by a wide unanimous decision, which marked the end of his second reign as middleweight champion and initiated the worst three-fight losing streak of his career.
Adesanya shared details of this exchange on a recent episode of his show, “Young Man Ramble.”
“I said then: `No, I have to fight in Sydney. I have to fight. I haven`t fought on this side of the world in so long`,” Adesanya recalled. “And Dana replied: `Listen, kid. You have enough money. Just take a break for a while`.”
“Then I thought: `No`. I was stubborn, but looking back, I think perhaps Dana was right. Maybe I should have just relaxed. But then again, I like stories like these. This is how it`s supposed to be. Adversity is a privilege. Amen.”
Since that loss, Adesanya has struggled to regain momentum. He was given an opportunity to become a three-time champion at UFC 305 but was submitted by rival Dricus du Plessis. Following that, in February, he suffered his first non-title defeat since 2019, losing to Nassourdine Imavov.
At 35, “The Last Stylebender” has indicated he plans to be more selective with his future fights and hopes for a rematch with Strickland someday.
“Definitely,” Adesanya confirmed when guest Sean O`Malley asked if he still desired a rematch with Strickland. “It`s on my list. But again, not for anyone else, just for myself, because [my brother] kind of hinted a bit about my activity, my body, and so on. We all go into fights carrying issues, but for that specific one… We`ve done the work, I`ve dedicated time to healing, and now I only fight maybe two or three times a year.”
“The fight with Strickland is important to me because I just want to know that he beat the best version of me. Then I`ll be at peace.”
Wesley Dunham 
Marcus Blakely