Adesanya ready for his UFC return: when will ‘The Last Stylebender’ fight again?
Adesanya is planning his return to the octagon after losing the middleweight title to Strickland and taking a sabbatical year to reorganize ideas.
Israel Adesanya has taken advantage of his time off to gather momentum. The Last Stylebender, considered one of the best middleweights in history, stopped fighting for a few months after losing the middleweight belt twice in less than a year.
“I’m going to take time to look after myself and I’m not going to fight for a long time. I’m definitely not going to retire because I know me, I’m not leaving like that,” the New Zealander said nine months ago after losing to Sean Strickland.
Adesanya’s return possibly in August for UFC 305
A long time has passed since that fight, and Adesanya seems ready to return to action. He confirmed he is thinking about his potential first fight after his break on his YouTube channel.
“I’m excited. People always say, ‘I hope you get the belt back,’ like I have belts, I don’t need belts anymore. I’m coming for heads, that’s what I want to do,” the former champion stated.
Although he’s not interested in belts, the UFC’s plans for Adesanya are directly related to the category title. According to the latest reports, Adesanya would return to the octagon to face the champion Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 305 main event, which will take place in Perth (Australia) in August.
Adesanya will return to a different division
Adesanya’s break hasn’t been as long as the middleweight division’s metamorphosis. Strickland is no longer champion, Jared Cannonier has just lost his contender status after losing to Nassourdine Imavov and Du Plessis is about to make his first title defense.
Moreover, while fighters like Bo Nickal or Khamzat Chimaev are taking off, the New Zealander’s biggest nightmare, Alex Pereira, seems to have changed categories to never return to middleweight.
These movements have sparked greater public interest in a division that had been stagnant for years due to Adesanya and Robert Whittaker’s dominance. The return of the fighter of Nigerian origin, but based in Rotorua (New Zealand) adds some extra excitement to the 185-pound division.