Despite a fourth consecutive loss on Saturday, Israel Adesanya has no intention of walking away from the sport.
Adesanya had been hoping to turn things around following defeats to Nassourdine Imavov, Dricus du Plessis, and Sean Strickland heading into UFC Seattle.
But after more than a year out of action, his comeback didn't go as planned. Adesanya was knocked out by Joe Pyfer in the second round, adding to his recent troubles inside the Octagon.
A lot of people have called for him to step away from fighting following that defeat at Climate Pledge Arena. But not everyone agrees that's the right move for him.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
'The Last Stylebender' hasn't tasted victory since 2023, when he knocked out Alex Pereira at UFC 287 to reclaim the title. That fight was the last time Adesanya had his hand raised in the Octagon.
He has already shut down retirement talk, telling Daniel Cormier during his post-fight interview in Seattle that he wasn't planning on walking away. And Cormier believes that's a reasonable choice.
"People were wondering… if Adesanya didn't get the job done tonight, if it would be it, if we had seen the last of 'The Stylebender,'" Cormier said in a video on his YouTube channel.
"To me, it did not sound like he is almost remotely done with his UFC career. And honestly, the way that he was fighting, I would encourage him to keep going. Because he was fighting really well.
"I think Izzy will question when he gets back to watching this fight, why he chose the path that he did in round two," he continued. "Because he was fighting really well. He fought well in round one. He was fighting well in round two.
"But then, for some reason, he decided to kind of say, 'You know what? Shield in the middle. Let's stand on it and let's trade.' When in reality, that was probably the best way for Pyfer to get a victory."
If Adesanya decides against retirement and returns for another bout inside the Octagon as planned, there's already a potential opponent lined up for him – Yousri Belgaroui.
The newcomer improved to 2-0 with a knockout win at UFC Seattle and now wants a chance at redemption against someone who twice got the better of him during their kickboxing days.
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