Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Israel Adesanya after UFC Seattle loss?
· Yahoo Sports
It was another sad night for another legendary figure in MMA on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 271 when Israel Adesanya saw his losing skid extended by Joe Pyfer.
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It wasn't that long ago when Adesanya (24-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) had conquered the sport as reigning middleweight champion with an undefeated record. Recent years have not been so kind to "The Last Stylebender," though, because he's now lost four consecutive bouts and five of his past six overall dating back to November 2022.
Adesanya had some strong moments in the bout against Pyfer (16-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), but ultimately his grappling defense failed and he saw himself get caught in a dominant positioned and pounded in a second-round TKO at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
At 36 and with more than 100 combat sports bouts between MMA and kickboxing, Adesanya seems like a prime candidate for retirement. He was defiant about that in the immediate aftermath of the fight, telling Daniel Cormier he's "not f*cking leaving."
Will that perspective change once the dust settles and Adesanya reflects on his situation with friends, family and his team? Perhaps. But if we take it on face value and assume he will indeed continue, the options aren't exactly extensive.
Pyfer marked the step down in competition that should've presented Adesanya his best chance to bounce back. Go any further down and it's looking like unranked competition for him, which might be a difficult sell given his status and likely substantial purse to compete.
Moreover, Adesanya dipping outside the rankings only presents more jeopardy to his record and legacy, so there's much to consider.
Would someone like Yousri Belgaroui (10-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who TKO'd Mansur Abdul-Malik on the main card and has a kickboxing history with Adesanya, be an appropriate matchup? Certainly from a style perspective it would be compelling, but is that what Adesanya is looking for at this point?
It will be curious to see how he views his career going forward, and how the UFC brass sees his usefulness amid this late-career slide. History indicates this scenario gets worse before it gets better, though, so Adesanya has a lot to think about before putting himself in position to take more damage and potential defeats.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Seattle matchmaker: Who's next for Israel Adesanya after loss?