Israel Adesanya can see the end of the line, and he’s taking it all in as he rides the last stretch of his fighting road. He’s made it clear that he’s not chasing the title anymore. ‘The Last Stylebender’ just wants to enjoy what’s left of his career, which is why he regrets missing out on what could have been a great fight for him, and the fans.

On his YouTube channel, ‘Izzy’ disclosed a missed 2025 short-notice UFC middleweight bout against Reinier de Ridder. De Ridder, a Dutch submission specialist and a two-division champion in ONE Championship, recently suffered his first UFC loss. Adesanya, after missing his chance to fight for a second time in 2025, also estimates fewer than 10 fights remain in his career, projecting a possible retirement.

Is this the finish line? Israel Adesanya reflects on missed chances, injuries, and the end of an era

“I was gonna fight last year, but then I got injured in the gym, and then that opportunity got taken away. It was a short-notice fight as well. I’ve never done one of those, so that would have been exciting. Who was the person? RDR On five weeks notice, six weeks notice, and I was already training. But then that moment got taken away from me. But that’s in hindsight the best thing,” Israel Adesanya told the camera.

Adesanya’s short-notice resilience remained unseen due to his injury. Whether ‘Izzy’ would have been dragged into a submission—especially against de Ridder’s staggering 80% submission rate—is a question fans will now never get answered.

The two-time UFC middleweight champion also talked about how he does not see a lot of time inside the Octagon ahead of him: “In 2028, I will be like.. Can’t see past 2027. I don’t think that far ahead at the moment, but I do glance at it. Just know I’m on the tail end. I can see the finish line. I’ve been seeing the finish line, but now it’s closer.”

Adesanya’s candor is admirable, underscoring MMA’s transient nature where fighters often exit in their late 30s after 15-20 bouts on average per UFC data. With Adesanya’s talk of retirement, it makes fans want to tune in for his next (or rather, last) few outings, including the upcoming one against Joe Pyfer.

Not a comeback tour: Israel Adesanya returns as a wild card against Joe Pyfer in Seattle

Maybe thoughts of retirement cross

Israel Adesanya’s mind, but he does have some unfinished business to attend to on March 28 in Seattle. ‘Izzy’ is headlining a UFC Fight Night event in Seattle against Joe Pyfer. This matchup marks his first fight in over a year following a hiatus. 

The former two-time UFC middleweight champion at this point in his career speaks with authority because he has reached the highest point in his career twice. In a recent Ariel Helwani show, Adesanya said, “I [was champion] twice. It can happen again. I’m still me. The middleweight division right now is not really the same as when I was in the game. I know they like me as a champion, but it’s not really my main focus. When it comes, it comes.”

“What was the last exciting thing at middleweight? Where people were talking about it. It’s good to have Khamzat [Chimaev] as champion — that was the last exciting thing. Since then, there’s not really been anything that feels [interesting].”

Now, he returns not as a savior or new superstar atop the weight class, but as a dangerous variable dropped back into the middleweight ecosystem.

Pyfer brings raw physicality, a knockout threat, and the hunger of a rising contender looking to make his name. Adesanya recognizes exactly what the assignment represents. “It is just what I need to come back to — a dangerous opponent that they’re trying to feed me to,” Adesanya said.

As Adesanya steps into the Climate Pledge Arena next month, most people will be looking at him as the gatekeeper at middleweight. How he leaves the Arena will decide if that label sticks. He’s already lost to Nassourdine Imavov, who everyone expects to fight for the title next. Pyfer is still a long way from title fight mettle, which is why this fight is perhaps a lot more important than any contender fight Adesanya has ever been in.