Israel Adesanya: Preparing for first non-title UFC fight in six years 'doesn't feel any different'
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is on the verge of competing in his first non-title fight in six years, but says everything still feels the same.
After back-to-back losses in title fights with heated builds, Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) is relatively at peace with the outcomes, especially his last outing against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. Adesanya and Du Plessis had a viral, yet ugly, racially-charged face-to-face at UFC 290, which set the tone for their fight.
“No, not at all,” said when asked if the loss to Du Plessis stung more than others (via Adesayna’s YouTube channel). “I did my best, and I was in pretty good shape. … The Dricus fight, I was in great shape. I f*cking felt strong, but yeah, definitely room for improvement, and we’ve made those improvements.”
Adesanya’s first title fight in the UFC came at UFC 236 in April 2019. It was an interim title fight against Kelvin Gastelum that was one of the most intesne fights in either man’s career. That was Adesanya’s third fight on a UFC pay-per-view.
On Feb. 1, the former champion will face Nassourdine Imavov at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will be Adesanya’s first fight on a non-pay-per-view Fight Night card since he faced Brad Tavares at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale in July 2018.
While it will mark the end of an impressive streak, none of this bothers Adesanya.
“I still get paid,” Adesanya said. “There’s still a referee, it’s two of us in there, there’s a crowd. It’s not like in the f*cking Apex or something, so it doesn’t feel any different. I think people are making it out to be something how they would react to it, but they’re not in my shoes. They’re not in my shorts.
“,,, It’s a Saudi Arabia Fight Night, first of all. I still get paid. It still feels like you’re fighting Israel Adesanya. This is the biggest fight of his life. I have to be the one to halt that. It still feels the same. It doesn’t feel any different.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Saudi Arabia.