Israel Adesanya, the former UFC middleweight champion, has voiced his eagerness to step back into the octagon.
Adesanya, a fighter born in Nigeria, is anticipated to vie for the championship against Dricus du Plessis, his rival and the current titleholder, in a highly awaited match later this year. While the details have not been officially confirmed, sources indicate that the promotion is eyeing UFC 305 on August 18 in Perth.
In a post on his YouTube channel on Friday, “The Last Stylebender” discussed the potential return, showed some of the new elements to his strength and conditioning program, and also revealed his new mindset when it comes to his fighting career.
“How excited am I to get back in the octagon? I’m excited,” Adesanya said. “I’m excited, it’s been a year, almost a year, like 11 months by the time I get back in the octagon. People are like, ‘Oh, I hope you get the belt back, I hope you get the belt back,’ I have belts. I don’t need any more belts. I’m coming for heads. That’s what I want to do.
“Just a few that I have to touch, and take.”
In his most recent outing, Adesanya lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 this past September, his second loss in his past three fights.
After losing the title to multi-time opponent Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November 2022, the 35-year-old got revenge with a brutal knockout win over Pereira five months later at UFC at UFC 287.
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Dricus du Plessis is currently on a nine-fight winning streak, which includes his triumphant capture of the middleweight title at UFC 297 in January, where he edged out Strickland via a closely contested split decision.
Adesanya has been taking a deliberate and measured approach to his comeback, and he vows that when he finally returns to the octagon, it will be with a commanding and impactful performance that will leave a lasting impression.
“I’m excited to come back, but everything comes at its own time,” Adesnaya said. “So right now it’s just the time for training, chilling, working, relaxing, healing. And then when it’s time, time for killing.”
Punch
