Israel Adesanya vows to snap losing skid in UFC return: ‘The next fight is gonna be even better’
Off the back of his third straight defeat, ex-UFC champion, Israel Adesanya has claimed his next performance is going to be “even better” than his last — following his second round knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov in Riyadh earlier this month.
Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middleweight champion, returned to action at the beginning of this month in the main event of UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia, in a high-stakes pairing with the surging, Imavov.
Tasked with bringing a halt to a two-fight losing skid for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career, City Kickboxing star, Adesanya would succumb to his third straight loss — with Russian-French contender, Imavov seizing his opportunity to land a stunning second round knockout win early into the frame.
Israel Adesanya vows to snap losing skid in return to the UFC
And linked with a potential retirement from combat sports following his third straight loss — and second consecutive defeat via stoppage, Nigerian-Kiwi veteran, Adesanya has dropped the biggest hint yet that he will continue fighting — claiming his next outing will be “even better” than his last when he returns to the Octagon.
“Awesome, I wouldn’t change a thing about this camp,” Israel Adesanya said on his YouTube channel when asked how he felt about his performance against Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia. “I felt great. Next fight’s going to be even better.
“I’m going to chase the red again, do everything I did, sacrifice,” Israel Adesanya explained. “But yeah, I just use the solitude and everything just to fire myself and fuel myself for this. And that’s why now that I’ve finished the camp, had the fight, done well, I’m like, man, I’m just going to enjoy myself. You know, because I work hard and I play hard.”
Vowing to return to training and help his teammates prepare for their respective returns to action, Adesanya claimed after his return in Riyadh how he must take everything into consideration when weighing up his immediate future in the sport.
” I don’t know,” Israel Adesanya told ESPN MMA when asked what was next for him after his UFC Saudi Arabia loss. “I’ll have to chill and then think about things. I’ll relax first for a little bit. Just help the teammates who have fights coming up and yeah, see what I want to do. I was gonna do that anyway, but you know now I’m forced to shout to Nassourdine (Imavov) for that.”
