It’s May 2025, and Israel Adesanya hasn’t won a fight in almost two years. His most recent defeat at UFC Saudi Arabia was quiet, almost eerie in how little noise it made. No heated press conferences, no outbursts, no statements about bouncing back. Just another unanimous decision loss. That made it three in a row—Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis, and now Nassourdine Imavov. For a man who used to narrate his fights with anime references and mic-drop one-liners, this version of Adesanya feels like a ghost in his own legacy. No belt, no scheduled return, and for the first time since 2019, no main-event spotlight. Yet somehow, he’s not out. He’s not done. He’s just… moving differently now.

In April, out of nowhere, he showed up in Arizona to train with Sean O’Malley’s team. Not as a guest of honor or a “special appearance.” He just wanted to train. No UFC Embedded crew trailing him. No teasers about a comeback. He didn’t even post much. Those who saw him there—coaches, teammates, even fans who caught glimpses—saw a version of Izzy that hadn’t really existed in the public eye before. Not the showman. Not the Stylebender. But he’s still out there. 

That was exactly what Tim Welch noticed, too. When Izzy dropped in to train with their team, Welch didn’t know what to expect. The gym wasn’t unfamiliar with stars—after all, Sean O’Malley is the reigning bantamweight champ—but something about having Adesanya there carried a different energy. Welch later reflected on that time during an episode of the Red Hawk Recap podcast, and his words captured what fans haven’t seen:

“I didn’t know what to expect with Izzy. I have seen him a couple of times in fight weeks and like just saw him, but you never know what people are dealing with in fight weeks. They’re cutting weight. I didn’t know about him. But he came and hung out with us, and it was crazy just how humble the dude was. How humble he was and how just nice of a dude he was. And like you’d think, he would kind of be bitter, he is coming off three losses, he may be bitter or just bad mood, but he wasn’t. He just seemed so at peace.”

And not just that, even back home in New Zealand, he hasn’t been staying still.

Earlier this year, he spent time training with David Goggins—yes, that Goggins—just to “feel that bit of weight” again, as he put it. Not for cardio. Not for punishment. Just to remind himself what he can take. In a podcast with Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France, Adesanya even opened up about his experience with the man.

Israel Adesanya labels David Goggins ‘a self-proclaimed psychopath’

‘The Last Stylebender’ has already given a green light to the UFC brass about the next fight saying, “I’ve officially requested an opponent for my next UFC fight.”  On top of that, he is keeping in shape by training with the most brutal trainers. In a run to become the best version of himself, he decided to train with former Navy SEAL David Goggins who is known for his HIT and brutal workouts.

In a recent interview in Our Yeah, Adesanya chatted alongside Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, and Eugene Bareman. He spoke about his days of hell with Goggins, ‘The Last Stylebender’ revealed, “One thing he did say, which I am taking with me. I went there just because people think it’s an everyday thing. No, I wanted to just feel that bit of weight, and he took me to it. And one thing he said was, ‘Where your world ends, mine begins,’ and I held on to that and that feeling. Yeah, so, I got what I came for.”

He also added about Goggins’ mentality, saying, “He’s chilling, bro. And he’s a self-proclaimed psychopath, and I’m glad he’s doing that rather than burying bodies in the desert, ’cause, yeah, he’s a madman.”

Now that ‘Izzy’ is preparing for war, do you think he will come back and get a title shot? If he loses again, then his path is bleak. What do you think will happen?