Can ‘The Last Stylebender’ Regain Control After a Recent Falloff?
Israel Adesanya was once one of the most feared competitors in the Middleweight Division. He defeated many high-talent opponents and was once champion with other chances at the belt as well. This gave him the respect of being one of the most elite fighters in the UFC, earning him the cover of the video game UFC Four, and many performances of the night finishes. However, Israel sits currently on a three-fight losing streak, and did not look in his prior form in any of the fights.
Adesanya’s nickname is “The Last Stylebender” for a reason. He has incredible elusiveness and quick feet, which pair nicely with his long reach and power. Some of the most exciting moments of his career were surrounding his rivalry with Alex Pereira. The two met in the Octagon twice and tied each other, with both gaining a win and a loss from their matchup. Adesanya defeating Pereira was particularly incredible as “Poatan” is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and dominant fighters in the UFC. Some would even say unstoppable, but Israel found his chin and scored an incredible knockout victory. Unfortunately, the 36-year-old has not looked like his true “Stylebender” form recently. He lost his belt to Sean Strickland and followed that up with another title shot defeat to Dricus du Plessis. It was clear that these two fights were serious blows to Israel’s confidence in the Octagon. He looked like he was fighting with a lot of caution and focusing more on defense than offense. After some time away to focus on training, he was ready for another fight. He took on Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night in February, and scored what was his third tough loss in a row. While many are concerned with whether he can find his groove again, he is set to fight again in March. He is taking on a pivotal fight that can either help or further hurt the current trajectory of his career. He is fighting Joe Pyfer and has refocused on heavy training after taking some more time off since his last fight.
Regardless of a victory or defeat, it is exciting to see that the 36-year-old will be back in the Octagon. These last few fights have been difficult for his fans to watch, especially as he was once on an extremely promising track. While these losses have hit his confidence and momentum, it would be nice to see him get back to his roots. His rise through the UFC in his younger career was all based on taking risks and fighting with freedom. He should focus on having fun in the Octagon, rather than stressing so much about a belt.
