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Doubt Israel Adesanya at your own peril ahead of UFC Fight Night 271.
Former longtime UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) returns to the octagon Saturday and looks to snap a three-fight losing skid in the headliner vs. Joe Pyfer (15-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), which takes place at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (Paramount+).
With four defeats in his past five fights, Adesanya knows he is being positioned to potentially be a stepping-stone for Pyfer to jump to the top of the division. It's a situation that has been seen endless times in combat sports history, but Adesanya won't be wiped out just yet.
"This is the classic tale of when they try to get the old guard and give him a young dog," Adesanya told reporters at Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 271 media day. "For me, I've seen how this goes. This is just the cycle. Sometimes us older guys stop them in their tracks. This fight for me, the story I'm telling myself, the story I'm going to write this weekend, is that after a year off, he comes back and just performs better than he ever has, or just like he did, and people are like, 'Ah, you're only as good as your last fight.'
"So when I'm done this weekend, I want people to be like, 'Oh, wow. F*ck. How did I ever doubt him? How did I ever think he was done? What the f*ck was I thinking?' That's the story I want to write this weekend."
At 36 and with more than 100 combat sports bouts in his lifetime, Adesanya would not be blamed if he were looking at the end. Instead, though, he is feeling fresh after a 13-month layoff and is of the belief he has plenty more to give.
"I still have so much left at the table," Adesanya said. "For me, I'm taking everything one moment at a time. One day at a time, one fight at a time, because the world is crazy right now, so we don't know what's going to happen. Everything is just about this moment. Also, I'm in a different place in my career."
For now, though, Adesanya is focused on the task at hand. He knows Pyfer brings serious knockout power and a dangerous grappling threat, so he's going to have to be at his best to win.
"I want to be clean – I want to go in there and let him hit fresh air," Adesanya said. "I think he's very well-rounded. I think he is a big threat on the feet with the hands, and all he's got a fast shot. I've studied that very well and his grappling tendencies. I look forward to him testing that against me. I want him to feel what I can do when it comes to grappling."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: For Israel Adesanya, UFC Seattle is about writing redemption story
Continue reading...
Former longtime UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) returns to the octagon Saturday and looks to snap a three-fight losing skid in the headliner vs. Joe Pyfer (15-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), which takes place at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (Paramount+).
With four defeats in his past five fights, Adesanya knows he is being positioned to potentially be a stepping-stone for Pyfer to jump to the top of the division. It's a situation that has been seen endless times in combat sports history, but Adesanya won't be wiped out just yet.
"This is the classic tale of when they try to get the old guard and give him a young dog," Adesanya told reporters at Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 271 media day. "For me, I've seen how this goes. This is just the cycle. Sometimes us older guys stop them in their tracks. This fight for me, the story I'm telling myself, the story I'm going to write this weekend, is that after a year off, he comes back and just performs better than he ever has, or just like he did, and people are like, 'Ah, you're only as good as your last fight.'
"So when I'm done this weekend, I want people to be like, 'Oh, wow. F*ck. How did I ever doubt him? How did I ever think he was done? What the f*ck was I thinking?' That's the story I want to write this weekend."
At 36 and with more than 100 combat sports bouts in his lifetime, Adesanya would not be blamed if he were looking at the end. Instead, though, he is feeling fresh after a 13-month layoff and is of the belief he has plenty more to give.
"I still have so much left at the table," Adesanya said. "For me, I'm taking everything one moment at a time. One day at a time, one fight at a time, because the world is crazy right now, so we don't know what's going to happen. Everything is just about this moment. Also, I'm in a different place in my career."
For now, though, Adesanya is focused on the task at hand. He knows Pyfer brings serious knockout power and a dangerous grappling threat, so he's going to have to be at his best to win.
"I want to be clean – I want to go in there and let him hit fresh air," Adesanya said. "I think he's very well-rounded. I think he is a big threat on the feet with the hands, and all he's got a fast shot. I've studied that very well and his grappling tendencies. I look forward to him testing that against me. I want him to feel what I can do when it comes to grappling."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: For Israel Adesanya, UFC Seattle is about writing redemption story
Continue reading...
