SUMMARY
- Earlier in 2023, the former middleweight champ was in attendance for his friend Francis Ngannou's fight against Tyson Fury.
- Ahead of the "Day of Reckoning", Izzy took some time out for an interview with Derek Chisora and hinted his return.
Israel Adesanya is currently taking some well-deserved time away from fighting. Having been active and fighting through injuries for a long time now, it was time for the former champ to take a hiatus. However, according to him, fans can expect to see him in action sooner than they expected.
Recently, Adesanya took another trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Earlier in 2023, the former middleweight champ was in attendance for his friend Francis Ngannou’s fight against Tyson Fury. Now, the Kiwi is back in Saudi Arabia, cheering for his close friend Anthony Joshua, who is set to take on Otto Wallin.
Ahead of the “Day of Reckoning”, Izzy took some time out for an interview with Derek Chisora. Speaking to the boxer, he also touched upon his eventual return to the UFC. “Life has forced me to take some time off, and I will. But, you will see me soon. I said 2027, and the r*****s out there thought I meant that, but you’ll see”. Naturally, the statement created a big buzz amongst fans online.
For the most part, fans had turned on Adesanya ahead of his fight at UFC 293. Taking on Sean Strickland, the champ seemed to be a shell of his former self. Having lost the title by unanimous decision, he later revealed certain health complications coming into the fight. As such, the champ immediately revealed that a long layoff would be next for him.
Will Israel Adesanya return at UFC 300?
Initially, ‘The Last Stylebender‘ hinted that he would not return to action till 2027. A puzzling decision to some, fans and fighters like Jon Jones revealed that it was the right decision to make. However, fans following the fighter will know that Izzy is not the kind of person who likes to sit on the sidelines.
Thus, it was always expected that Adesanya would try to stir the pot even whilst being out of action. Notably, Adesanya teased a potential trilogy fight with Alex Pereira at UFC 298, which is headlined by Alexander Volkanovski. However, he was also quite quick to take it back and admit that it was only a prank.
Alex Pereira’s recent message hints at a potential 3rd fight with Israel Adesanya for UFC 300 🔥
Thoughts?#UFC300 #UFC #AlexPereira #IsraelAdesanya #Trilogy #MMA pic.twitter.com/as7KQeUpBn— G & N Sports (@gnsportsbets) December 21, 2023
With that said, the fast-approaching UFC 300 would prove to be a worthy return opportunity for Adesanya. Although there is no real news of his intentions to return, many would assume that it would likely be when he would want to return. In the meantime, his arch-nemesis Alex Pereira has also put out a rather cryptic message. Taking to social media, the Brazilian wrote “30+300=3”, which some have inferred as a potential trilogy fight.
Whilst the fight would be worthy of a spot at UFC 300, anything else is pure speculation at the moment. Notably, fight fans have also deciphered the message as perhaps alluding to a fight with Interim Heavyweight champ, Tom Aspinall. Some fans believe that the ‘thirty’ stands for his age, and the ‘three’ refers to a three-divisional champ. With all the mystery in the air, fans eagerly await whatever is in store.