Analyst: Israel Adesanya being 'a hair slower' than prime is biggest obstacle to UFC rebound
Every fighter experiences a decline, but when it happens at the highest level of the sport, the flaws that lead to it can have an even greater spotlight.
That's what coach Sayif Saud sees happening to former UFC middleweight champion and future UFC Hall of Famer Israel Adesanya, who saw his losing skid hit a career-worst three fights in a knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 this month.
After losing consecutive championship bouts to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, the once-longtime titleholder Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) found himself in a different spot. His streak of 12 consecutive title fights was over and he was in a non-title bout for the first time since 2019 against a surging contender in Imavov. He said all the right things heading in, and started with a strong first round. But then it fell apart.
Imavov landed a big punch on Adesanya in the second round that rocked "The Last Stylebender." He pounded and got the knockout finish in what was a breakthrough moment for his career, but the post-fight narrative was firmly on Adesanya and what his future holds.
Saud, who is the head coach at Fortis MMA and was an Analyst of the Year nominee at the 16th annual World MMA Awards, saw this is a natural progression of Adesanya's career. At 35 and with more than 100 combat sports bouts on his record, Saud thinks Adesanya is experiencing the slightest fallout in what were once his strongest attributes.
"I look at that fight and just think about how incredible Izzy has been and what he's done," Saud told MMA Junkie. "I see everybody and they're like sad. It's kind like mourning this great fighter. But this happens to every single fighter after a certain point, because they fight at the very elite level. The thing about these champions is once they get to that level, everybody you fight is on the way up and is the very best of the new breed or the new generation or whatever. Nassourdine is a good example of that. He's five or six or seven years younger than Izzy, in his prime and hungry. It's constantly like being at the very tip of the sphere against the most amount of danger, and how long can you do that for?
"At 35 years old, if you're just a hair slower, just a hair, just like Roy Jones Jr. The guy was all reflexes. He would hit people and come back and they couldn't even touch him. He got just a hair slower and that was the difference. So I think that's what we're seeing with Izzy. I still think he looked really, really good in the fight. I think he can beat tons of people. I think he can beat Nassourdine in a fight. But with the style that he has and the way that he strikes, in that division with the young guys coming up (it's tough)."
Although Adesanya has yet to make a definitive statement about what his fighting future holds, his path to victories aren't going to get any easier. Unless he takes a dramatic step down in competition, Saud said everyone who enters the octagon with Adesanya will be studying him closely and coming for his head in this vulnerable position.
Reigning champion Du Plessis said he thinks Adesanya does not have another title run in him, and Saud tends to agree we are witnessing a turnover with the elite at 185 pounds.
"We see a big shift coming in the middleweight division," Saud said. "That was an example."
Din Thomas says Israel Adesanya's fall happens to most UFC greats
Kamaru Usman encourages Israel Adesanya to follow Anderson Silva's approach
Sean Strickland shares uplifting message with Israel Adesanya after UFC Saudi Arabia loss
To hear more of Saud's analysis of Adesanya's loss and future, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Analyst: Israel Adesanya being 'a hair slower' than prime is biggest obstacle to UFC rebound
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
Video: UFC 317 'Countdown' for Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France
Brazilian flyweight champ Pantoja goes after fourth title defense in rematch from Season 24 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' Did you miss the debut of UFC 317 "Countdown" or just want to watch it again? Check out the co-main event preview now. The segment takes a special look at the flyweight title fight between former champion Alexandre Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) and challenger Kai Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC). UFC 317 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. "Countdown" goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don't miss the entire episode in the video below.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Jon Jones retires, UFC 317 preview, more
Check out this week's "Spinning Back Clique," MMA Junkie's weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week's panel of Brian "Goze" Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics: Advertisement Jon Jones has hung up the gloves. That's right. In an unexpected manner, UFC CEO Dana White announced at Saturday's UFC on ABC 8 post-fight press conference that Jones decided to retire, promoting interim champion Tom Aspinall to undisputed. This put an end to a wait for a title unification bout that nearly lasted two years, leaving many fans frustrated with Jones. How does this affect Jones' legacy? What's next for Aspinall? We unpack it all. Although the biggest news Saturday was Jones' retirement, there was a whole card full of decisions, and some finishes, that marked the UFC's first event in Azerbaijan. In the main event, Khalil Rountree put on a striking clinic against former champion Jamahal Hill. In the co-main event, veteran Rafael Fiziev got his first win since 2022, outpointing Ignacio Bahamondes. We react to these two bouts, plus other key results from the card. To cap off the show, we take a look at the upcoming UFC 317 event – which features a title fight for the vacant lightweight belt between Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria in its main event, and a flyweight championship fight between titleholder Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Kai Kara-France in the co-main event. Who leaves the night as champions? What other fights stand out from the card? We preview this year's International Fight Week event. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Spinning Back Clique: Jon Jones retires, UFC 317 preview, more
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Jon Jones retires, UFC 317 preview, more
Check out this week's "Spinning Back Clique," MMA Junkie's weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week's panel of Brian "Goze" Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics: Advertisement Jon Jones has hung up the gloves. That's right. In an unexpected manner, UFC CEO Dana White announced at Saturday's UFC on ABC 8 post-fight press conference that Jones decided to retire, promoting interim champion Tom Aspinall to undisputed. This put an end to a wait for a title unification bout that nearly lasted two years, leaving many fans frustrated with Jones. How does this affect Jones' legacy? What's next for Aspinall? We unpack it all. Although the biggest news Saturday was Jones' retirement, there was a whole card full of decisions, and some finishes, that marked the UFC's first event in Azerbaijan. In the main event, Khalil Rountree put on a striking clinic against former champion Jamahal Hill. In the co-main event, veteran Rafael Fiziev got his first win since 2022, outpointing Ignacio Bahamondes. We react to these two bouts, plus other key results from the card. To cap off the show, we take a look at the upcoming UFC 317 event – which features a title fight for the vacant lightweight belt between Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria in its main event, and a flyweight championship fight between titleholder Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Kai Kara-France in the co-main event. Who leaves the night as champions? What other fights stand out from the card? We preview this year's International Fight Week event. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Spinning Back Clique: Jon Jones retires, UFC 317 preview, more
