The defeat of Israel Adesanya to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 was one of the most shocking results in UFC history. Strickland managed to put on a masterclass in striking against a former middleweight champion and one of the most skilled strikers in ‘Izzy’ using the unconventional Philly Shell.

However, despite the backlash Adesanya has received, he has one special person in his corner, Conor McGregor. ‘The Notorious’ has advised him to spar with big gloves. But Adesanya decided to drop a shocker, after his surprising statement about going on hiatus. Now he has shed some more light on it on his social media.

Israel Adesanya on hiatus from fighting

His unexpected and shocking loss to Strickland at UFC 293 seems to have deeply affected ‘Izzy’. And he recently made a statement that surprised many. Adesanya is known for being one of the most active champions in UFC history, having fought four times in the past fourteen months. But he recently revealed that he would be taking a break from fighting.

“I’m going to take time to look after myself, and I’m not going to fight for a long time. I’m definitely not going to retire because I know me- I’m not leaving like that,” he said recently on The Rock podcast.

This, of course, made waves in the MMA world, with many speculating that the Strickland loss had ‘broken’ Adesanya mentally. ‘The Last Stylebender,’ however, seemingly did not expect the reaction to his statement, as he indicated on his Instagram Story.

“I just be saying sh*t forgetting it’s gonna make headlines lol. Either way, catch me shaking my a*s on a yacht or a stage this summer,” Adesanya wrote.

Adesanya throws water on Dana White’s plan for a rematch with Strickland

UFC CEO Dana White, in the post-fight press conference, indicated that he would be open to an immediate rematch between Strickland and Adesanya. “I think you do the rematch,” White told reporters, “Absolutely. The rematch is interesting”. However, it seems Adesanya and Strickland will not be facing each other anytime soon, after ‘Izzy’s statement.

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‘Tarzan’ will face the winner of the upcoming Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman middleweight bout at UFC 294. Originally supposed to face Paulo Costa, who pulled out due to elbow surgery, The Nigerian Nightmare replaced him’ on short notice. And Adesanya, the former champion, seems to be out of the picture for the foreseeable future.

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