- Kamaru Usman advises Israel Adesanya to take a break and enjoy his career.
- Suggests Adesanya follow Anderson Silva’s path with exciting matchups.
- Adesanya suffers third consecutive defeat at UFC Fight Night 250.
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has encouraged his close friend Israel Adesanya to take a break and prioritize enjoying his fighting career after suffering his third straight loss at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia.
During an episode of his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman advised Adesanya to take a page from Anderson Silva’s book and focus on entertaining matchups, rather than immediately pursuing another shot at the title.
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“For Israel, man, honestly he’s at a point in his career to where – remember Anderson Silva got to this place where, ‘I’m going to pick a fun fight. It’s a fun fight, that’s a fight that I think is going to be great, that people want to see that fight,’” Usman said.
“Because Izzy did show that he can still fight, he was sharp.”
The Nigerian-born New Zealander suffered a second-round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, marking his fourth defeat in five fights. Despite a strong first round where he landed several effective low kicks, Adesanya ultimately fell short, dropping two places to fourth in the official UFC middleweight rankings, while Imavov surged to second, overtaking Khamzat Chimaev.
The 35-year-old former two-time middleweight champion, who once defended his title five times, has endured a difficult 12 months, losing his belt to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 before another setback against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 last August.
“Right now, Izzy, take your time. When you want to come back at the end of the year, then take a fight that makes sense,” Usman advised.
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Despite the setback, Adesanya, now holding a professional record of 24 wins (16 by knockout) and five losses, remained defiant on social media, writing: “As real as it gets, @ufc. Rolled the dice…snake eyes. I’ll be back, gone to get some milk.”
This bout was Adesanya’s first in six years and 12 fights without a UFC title on the line, and his latest defeat could prompt a reassessment of his future approach as he navigates the increasingly competitive middleweight division.
