Israel Adesanya is reportedly set for his comeback against a dangerous opponent at the UFC’s upcoming event in Saudi Arabia in December. However, the reveal has made fans feel that the former two-time middleweight champion is moving closer to hanging up his gloves. 

Prominent MMA journalist Ariel Helwani disclosed during his show that Adesanya would face Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on December 5, 2026.

Neither the UFC nor the fighters have made an official announcement about the middleweight fight. However, the news coming from one of the sport’s most trusted voices lends the report credibility.

Adesanya would return after suffering a crushing second-round TKO loss against Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle on March 28, 2026. That loss marked the Nigerian-Kiwi’s fourth consecutive defeat, the longest losing streak of his career.

Pyfer was ranked 14th in the middleweight division when he finished Adesanya, who was ranked No. 4, raising serious questions about the former champion’s longevity in the sport.

In search of a bounce-back, Adesanya parted ways with his longtime coach, Eugene Bareman, in May, ending their 16-year partnership. Adesanya revealed in a YouTube video in July that he had left the gym to find a new environment and subsequently joined Alex Volkanovski’s team in Sydney, Australia.

Briefly, rumors emerged that the UFC was exploring Adesanya’s return against Bo Nickal. However, the UFC 335 announcement confirmed Nickal would face Joe Pyfer at the December 12 event, putting those rumors to rest.

Israel Adesanya facing Shara Magomedov would not be remotely surprising to longtime fans of the sport because of the history these two share.

In 2024, Magomedov scored a stylish knockout against Armen Petrosyan with back-to-back spinning backfists in the UFC 308 main card opener and called out Adesanya for a clash. The Nigerian-Kiwi reacted to ‘Bullet’s callout in a YouTube video.

“Keep my name out of your f—ing mouth,” Adesanya told Shara.

Two years after the callout, Adesanya and Magomedov are reportedly set to collide. Fans are definitely hyped for the matchup, but they firmly believe the former two-time champion is nearing the end of his career and might call it quits if he loses to ‘Bullet.’ 

Fans call for Israel Adesanya’s retirement after Shara Magomedov fight is reportedly confirmed

One fan quickly chimed in and wrote, “If Izzy don’t win this, hang it up.” Another one wrote, “Retirement fight for Israel.” A different fan commented, “Izzy should wrap it up if he can’t beat Shara Bullet.”

Another user expressed a similar sentiment, stating, “If Izzy loses to a guy with one eye… he might need to hang it up.”

Fans calling for Israel Adesanya to retire stems from his current losing streak. The former two-time middleweight champion has remained winless since he knocked out Alex Pereira in their rematch at UFC 287 in 2023.

‘The Last Stylebender’s upset loss against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 via unanimous decision cost him his 185 lbs belt. He came back to face Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305, but the South African then submitted him in Round 4.

Adesanya subsequently tried to make a comeback against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia last year. However, the French-Russian fighter brutally finished him in the second round. After a break of over a year, Adesanya returned against Pyfer in March 2026 but suffered another devastating TKO loss. 

Understandably, fans aren’t banking on Adesanya, who is riding a four-fight losing streak.

A fan continued the conversation surrounding Adesanya’s potential retirement, writing, “Izzy should wrap it up if he can’t beat Shara Bullet…” Another fan believes the former champion should win this fight unless his prime has deteriorated much more than expected, writing, “Izzy SHOULD win this fight. Unless he’s actually that washed.”

Unlike Adesanya, his reported opponent has managed to bounce back. Shara Magomedov suffered a unanimous decision loss to Michael Venom Page in Saudi Arabia last year, at the same event Adesanya headlined. Despite that setback, the Russian secured two wins over Marc Andre Barriault and Michel Pereira.   

Though Shara Magomedov is a relatively well-known name in the MMA sphere, he is currently unranked in the middleweight division. Israel Adesanya, who’s ranked number 9 as of now, losing to Shara would perhaps knock him out of the rankings, and that would definitely signal that he’s done for good.

Plus, at 37 years old, Adesanya’s future in the UFC and his long-term health could be at risk if he decides to stay active. So, retirement seems to be a sensible option for the former champion.

However, if he ends up winning, he would most likely not hang up his gloves. In that case, it would be interesting to see what the UFC has planned for him next.