After his unexpected defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, consensus emerged suggesting Israel Adesanya should pause his fighting career.
The ex-UFC middleweight champion, celebrated for his frequent fights, quickly sought to reclaim his title from Alex Pereira after a loss at UFC 281, succeeding in a rematch five months later.
Adesanya resumed his training around February amidst speculation about his return at UFC 300, until it was revealed that the current champion, Dricus Du Plessis, had different intentions.
The anticipated showdown between “The Last Stylebender” and “Stillknocks” remains probable as the next headline fight in the division, yet one competitor doubts Adesanya’s ability to regain his premier status in the 185-pound category.
Marvin Vettori, who has faced Adesanya twice, shared his perspective on Adesanya’s potential comeback to the middleweight division. Their first encounter was early in Adesanya’s UFC career in 2018, followed by a title bout three years later.
In a recent discussion with The Schmo, “The Italian Dream” expressed skepticism about Adesanya’s prospects of triumphing at 185 pounds upon his return.
Vettori believes Adesanya will find it challenging to adapt to the division’s grappling advancements, which have significantly evolved during his hiatus from training.
“Izzy will lose any fight, if he comes back he’s not going to win any fight, I’ll tell you this. On the top three, four, he’s not gonna win any fight. He’s not going to win, I don’t think he’s going to beat Khamzat either. I don’t think so, he’s going to get taken down I think,” he said.
“If he comes back, he’s just going to lose I think. They’re gonna tell me I’m a hater and s*** but like, to be honest, I think it’s true. This game is improving so fast, it’s evolving so fast, and the grappling level is just evolving and it’s just getting higher and higher, and I think he can’t hang like taking a year off now, it’s a lot.”
