Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya says his ego is a major factor in his decision to continue fighting despite a rough recent stretch.
Adesanya has lost four straight bouts and five of his last six, with four of those defeats coming by finish. His most recent outing ended in a technical knockout loss to Joe Pyfer in Seattle, and he currently does not have his next fight booked.
“Even if we take a hit, like I said, four in a row for me, the equity might be down, but we’re still up over most people who’ve come into this game,” Adesanya said, before making it clear why he’s not walking away.
“That’s something I don’t want to rest on… my ego is very tied into this; I know what I can do still. For me, I don’t want this to be the writing of my story… this is not how I want to conclude this chapter of my life.”
Adesanya, known as “The Last Stylebender,” was viewed by some as the successor to Anderson Silva, “The Spider,” at middleweight. He began his UFC run 9-0 and attempted to become a double champion in a move to light heavyweight, where he suffered his first promotional loss to Jan Blachowicz.
After returning to middleweight, Adesanya made three more title defenses before a series of fights with Alex Pereira and the recent skid that has now put his competitive future under the spotlight.
