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Israel Adesanya Prioritizes Freedom Over Titles in His Next Chapter

He says his career will end in the UFC rather than a crossover to boxing.

Overview

  • Speaking at a Bangtao Muay Thai Q&A, Adesanya said he is no longer chasing belts and wants to fight more freely and take risks again.
  • The former two-time middleweight champion remains on a three-fight skid, capped by a February 2025 KO loss to Nassourdine Imavov in Saudi Arabia.
  • He indicated he expects to finish his career in the UFC and is not pursuing a move to boxing.
  • Adesanya has no opponent or return date, and an attempted rematch with Sean Strickland stalled as Strickland is booked to face Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston in February.
  • Asked about retirement by fans in Auckland, he jokes that he is retired until they see him on a fight poster.