What’s next for Israel Adesanya? That question has been echoing through the MMA world ever since Adesanya suffered his third back-to-back-back loss—this time to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia in February. It was the former champ’s first non-title bout in six years, and things looked promising in the opening round. But then, Imavov landed a crushing right hand that sent Adesanya crashing to the canvas. As the Dagestani underdog silenced the world, one question loomed large – was this ‘The Last’ of ‘Stylebender’? Well, Tim Welch might just have the answer.

The former two-time middleweight champion is 1-4 in his last five fights and has yet to make any public announcement about whether he plans to retire or make a comeback. He was last spotted working under Tim Welch, coach of one former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. While having a conversation about the former champion, Welch explained, “Israel Adesanya is taking a break now, but he is in a great headspace. It seems it’s like he wants to get the Sean Strickland rematch for his return.”

Israel Adesanya fought Sean Strickland back in 2023 at UFC 293. ‘The Last Stylebender’ was the favorite to win the battle; however, ‘Tarzan’ altered the timeline when he outstruck the Nigerian to claim the title, handing Adesanya the first of what would be a string of humbling defeats. A year later, Adesanya embraced the Octagon once again to clash against Dricus Du Plessis to take back his title, however, he was finished by the South African by way of a submission for the first time in his career.

A rematch against Sean Strickland works in Israel Adesanya’s favor, as it gives him a chance to redeem things from where they started to go wrong. However, it also opens the door to the risk of another unwanted loss at the hands of ‘Tarzan.’ One thing that is often overlooked by the MMA fans is the fact that Adesanya was not 100% against Strickland.

Tim Welch, in his conversation, further emphasized, “They said not excuses and stuff, but his knee was f—- up. He was just so burnt out. It was just a bad night where he didn’t show up.” As Welch believes a comeback for the former champion is certain, let’s have a look at what his team had to say.

Israel Adesanya’s coach provides his career update

With a three-fight losing streak, Israel Adesanya is in the same place where Anderson Silva was back in 2020. After losing back-to-back fights, the Brazilian fighter decided that it’s time for him to hang up his gloves. Leaving the UFC appeared to be a better option for him rather than torturing his body. So, is Adesanya in the same position? According to his head coach, Eugene Bareman, Adesanya’s career lies in his hands.

“Izzy is… uh, being—I don’t know what he’s doing next, but that’s a good place to be. Yeah, he’s just doing him. I don’t know. It’s just—yeah, if he was going to fight again, when he’s going to fight again. If he’s not, then… We’ve been blessed. I’ve been blessed. The world’s been blessed. The team’s been blessed. But it’s… yeah, it’s completely up to him,” Bareman said in his conversation with the media.

Israel Adesanya’s comeback is uncertain as of now, but Tim Welch’s statement gives a ray of hope to his fans. Why else would the Kiwi be working with Welch and O’Malley?  The duo is one of the more underrated pairs in the MMA sphere.

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Given that, what are your thoughts on ‘Izzy’s career as of now? State your opinions in the comments below.