Is this Adesanya's last chance to capture gold?
Israel Adesanya is set to return to the UFC octagon after almost a year off from the sport following his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. He faces the current UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth. This is a match-up that both men have been yearning for and a rivalry that is truly considered "bad blood".
Before taking a break from the sport, Adesanya had fought 16 times between making his UFC debut in 2018 and his 2023 loss to Sean Strickland. That averages out to three fights a year, with 11 being five-rounders. Considering Adesanya's activity combined with the strength of schedule & factoring in how much of himself he invests into selling his title fights, burnt out is an understatement.
Adesanya stated in an ESPN interview that he was feeling burnt out, "Even before the Pereira fight [in 2022], it was a hectic schedule for me." When asked how long Adesanya would be taking time away from the sport, he initially stated during an interview with The Mac Life from October 2023 that he would not return until "2027". "I had no idea how long I'd be gone but I knew it wasn't going to be until 2027," Adesanya told ESPN. "That was a joke. Don't worry. I'm back now."
It was evident a rivalry was brewing between Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis who is currently on a nine-fight winning streak dating back to 2019. Following his win against former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, DuPlessis and then champion Adesanya faced off in the cage where some subliminal verbal shots were taken regarding the African heritage of both fighters. Adesanya had to shift his attention and hunger toward Sean Strickland in a small window of time, which is no easy task. A rivalry stemming from 2020 when Du Plessis proclaimed he would become the first UFC Champion from Africa. While it may not have been a direct shot toward the Nigerian-born, New Zealand-raised Adesanya; he took offense to the statement seeing as Adesanya takes great pride in his Nigerian background.
As he approaches his fight with Du Plessis, one of the biggest lifestyle changes that Adesanya has made is focusing on his diet. Adesanya claimed he was eating "Uber Eats every meal" and not consuming the diet associated with a championship athlete. "What I would do back in the day is I would wake up, go to the gym, train, and then I'd have breakfast," Adesanya said on his YouTube channel of his poor eating habits. "That's not good because you're burning other things that are fuel sources that aren't meant to be fuel sources. "It wasn't really bothering me and I was able to get away with it. I was still performing better than everyone else ... but now I'm 35 and I realize you have to optimize yourself."
No longer is Adesanya burnt out from the game and operating on limited sleep and fast food. Factors like this tend to make a significant difference in performance. If he was that great while doing what he did back then, imagine what this fully focused and motivated version of Adesanya has in store for his opponent at UFC 305 which takes place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on ESPN+ PPV.
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