I don’t want to end my career with losses — Adesanya

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has declared that he has no intention of walking away from the sport on the back of a losing streak, insisting that pride and a belief in his own abilities are driving him to continue competing despite four consecutive defeats.

Adesanya, speaking on Demetrious Johnson’s Mighty Cast podcast, said he refuses to allow his current run of results to define the final chapter of his career.

His most recent defeat came at UFC Fight Night 271 in Seattle in March, where rising American contender Joe Pyfer stopped him via technical knockout in the second round, extending a losing run that also includes defeats to Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov.

Despite the setbacks, the Nigerian-born striker (36) remains defiant saying, “I don’t want this to be the writing of my story, because I feel like, yes, I took part in this, but this is not what I wanted to write. This is not how I wanted to end.

“This is not how I wanted to conclude this chapter of my life. So that’s why I’m still adamant that the grass is green on this side and I can tend to it, garden it properly and let it be lush and bloom properly.”

Adesanya acknowledged that his ego remains a significant motivating factor and rejected any suggestion that his legacy protects him from the need to keep winning.

“The equity, like you say, it might be down, but we still up than most people who even came into this game. That’s something that I don’t want to rest on because I’m not going to be like, well, I’ve done what I had to do. ‘I can lose now.’ Nah, f*ck that. I know what I can do still,” he said.

Speaking after the Pyfer defeat, he had already made his determination clear, telling the crowd, “I will keep going again and again and again and again. I’m not leaving. You can’t stop me. I might get beaten, but I’d always remain undefeated.”

Adesanya entered the bout against Pyfer with a 24-5 record and controlled the opening round before Pyfer took him to the canvas in the second, advancing to full mount and finishing with ground-and-pound before referee Herb Dean intervened.

His next move inside the Octagon remains to be confirmed, with compatriot Kamaru Usman set to face du Plessis — the man who defeated Adesanya in 2024 — on July 18 in Oklahoma City.