Israel Adesanya continues to suffer from the Alex Pereira curse. Looking to snap a three-fight losing streak, Adesanya headlined UFC Seattle on Saturday night against Joe Pyfer. However, the 36-year-old came up short, suffering a second-round TKO defeat—his fourth consecutive loss in the promotion. In the aftermath, fellow African MMA star Francis Ngannou shared his disappointment over Adesanya’s latest setback.

“What the f**k man,” Ngannou tweeted right after the fight. “Keep your head up @stylebender.”

The pair share a close bond, often described as ‘brothers,’ part of a tight African fighter group that includes Kamaru Usman. They’ve supported each other publicly for years and have often defended each other throughout their careers. And now, watching his friend fall from grace hasn’t been easy for the Cameroonian heavyweight, as he turned to Instagram on Sunday.

“Watching ‘Izzy’ fight last night, [I] was heartbroken,” Ngannou said in a video he shared on his Instagram story. “Reminds you how ungrateful this sport is. Sometimes it’s good [for] you. Sometimes, no matter what you do, it lets you down. 

“’Izzy’ looked sharp. ‘Izzy’ looked very sharp. And after the first round, I’m like, how [did] we get this? This is good, he’s back. But man, sometimes we plan. But God has other plans. And I can only imagine how tough it is to get back out of it, to come back out of it, to rebound.”

Adesanya has now lost five of his last six fights, which is precisely what many experts, including Henry Cejudo and Michael Bisping, felt would cause his retirement. However, Adesanya himself hasn’t given up hope yet, as he clarified his path going forward and dismissed any talks of his retirement from the sport that made him who he is. 

“You keep going again and again…,” Adesanya told Daniel Cormier right after the fight. “I’m not f**king leaving! You’ll never stop me. I might get beaten, but I will always remain undefeated.”

While Israel Adesanya’s determination to keep fighting may not have convinced most, it did win over one man.

Daniel Cormier feels Israel Adesanya should continue fighting

Daniel Cormier was cageside at UFC Seattle and watched Adesanya try to stop his three-fight skid. He was also the first man to speak to ‘The Last Stylebender’ after his loss. While many have begun questioning his future, Cormier saw enough in the former champion’s performance to suggest he still belongs at the elite level.

“People were wondering whether or not, if Adesanya didn’t get the job done tonight, if it would be it,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “To me, it did not sound like he is almost remotely done with his UFC career.

“Honestly, the way that he was fighting, I would encourage him to keep going. Because he was fighting really well.”

While supporting Adesanya’s determination, Cormier suggested that Adesanya has to go back to the drawing board and assess why he chose the path he chose in the second round of the fight. It’s also worth mentioning that while Adesanya may continue fighting, a lack of wins may turn fans away, which in turn could force the UFC to release the former middleweight champion. 

But watching all these experts express their thoughts on Israel Adesanya, do you think ‘The Last Stylebender’ still has what it takes? Or will the former champion join the ranks of fallen heroes?