Anyone with a decent knowledge of the state of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in recent years knows how dominant Israel Adesanya was in the middleweight division. Still, they also know how drastic his fall-off was. It seems as if Asesanya´s decline came out of thin air without warning.
To determine what caused this decline, we must first review all the factors that could have influenced Adesanya´s downfall. Age plays a huge role in the performance of any athlete, making it the most likely reason. Adesanya is currently 35 years old, and physicality can deteriorate for many people. The only issue with this is that he appears perfectly healthy and shows no signs of any physical decline, which most likely isn´t the main issue.
Considering that Adesanya has been fighting since he was 18 years old, it is possible that he simply doesn’t have the heart for the game anymore. It wouldn’t be the first time an athlete fell out of love with the game and had their performance reflected. Looking at the negative press Adesanya commonly receives along with the beatings MMA fighters take on a daily basis, it wouldn’t be surprising if he just doesn’t have his heart all in anymore. Even though a lack of passion is possible, the timing doesn’t add up, which raises the question of whether or not indifference is the case for Adesanya.
It would be understandable for Adesanya to lose heart in any other period of his reign, but not after such a feat. Adesanya had just beaten the greatest opponent of his career, Alex Pereira. Since the days Izzy did professional kickboxing, Pereira has been his biggest obstacle without a shroud of doubt, so why did he begin to deteriorate after beating his rival? You could beat almost anybody after defeating your most significant opponent, right? Adesanya apparently didn’t think so since he lost to someone Pereira had already destroyed right after. Let’s give Adesanya the benefit of the doubt and say he was having a bad day and could redeem himself later; he got the chance but was still embarrassed. Adesanya´s latest fight against Du Plessis was the final straw for many fans.
I myself am still determining exactly why Adesanya has been underperforming lately and if this is leading to the unfortunate end of his career, but whatever happens it was fun while it lasted. Prime Israel Adesanya will be remembered throughout UFC history.
