Israel Adesanya Discusses Retirement After UFC305 Defeat to Dricus du Plessis

• Israel Adesanya lost his UFC 309 fight to Dricus du Plessis via a round four submission in Perth, Australia
• The South African fighter prevailed over the Nigerian fighter in the all-African affair on August 18, 2024
• Adesanya has discussed potential retirement plans, having not stepped into the octagon ring since the defeat

Israel Adesanya is not shying away from the fact that his best days are behind him in the UFC and has opened up on when he could step away from the sport.

Adesanya was one of the greatest champions in the industry, having held the middleweight title on two occasions and has been without it for over a year since losing to Sean Strickland.

His most recent defeat came against South African fighter Dricus du Plessis, taking his losses to three in his last four fights and has raised concerns over his future, as noted by Express US.

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Israel Adesanya discusses retirement plans

The 35-year-old has discussed his retirement amid growing calls from fans and pundits to step away from the spots, as he is failing to reach the heights he was known for.

“I actually have no idea, that’s the thing. And it’s nice to know that. I’ve never felt that when people talk about — Matt Hughes was one of the first people I heard ... talk about when he lost the belt he felt this pressure come off,” he said on Flagrant Podcast.

“'Oh, I’m not the champ anymore.' But I never felt that because I was the champ for so long, and then when I lost it at MSG, I was kind of like, ‘let’s do it again'.”

He added that it's great not to be the centre of attraction in the company anymore. He wants to fight only when necessary, show off and make money.

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Du Plessis apologises to Adesanya's family

Briefly News previously reported that Dricus du Plessis apologised to Adesanya's parents after beating their son in the middleweight title bout at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.

The South African engaged in trash-talking with the Nigerian during the pre-match conference, questioning his origin, which brought him to tears. Dricus met with the family and apologised.

Source: Legit.ng