Israel Adesanya, the former UFC middleweight champion, has not fought since his upset loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Australia. Before the loss, Adesanya was caught by the police for drunken driving in New Zealand, resulting in license suspension recently.
Adesanya escaped conviction due to his lack of a past criminal record, although the judge did take note of his previous driving-related issues. Additionally, Adesanya is required to pay a fine of 1500 New Zealand Dollars to a charity of his choice and attend a disciplinary class for drunken driving.
Adesanya reveals his hilarious exchange with coach
Israel Adesanya recently altered his plans of going on hiatus, evident in his recent training session at City Kickboxing. Adesanya shared pictures of the session with head coach Eugene Bareman on his Instagram, even revealing a humorous exchange they had.
Bareman jokingly called Adesanya a ‘Dickhead’ upon his return to training, and in response, Izzy humorously remarked that Bareman is just ‘Fat’. Bareman has been with Adesanya since the inception of his mixed martial arts career, and their bond goes beyond that of a typical teacher and student. The duo shares mutual respect and admiration for each other’s roles in their professional journey.
The Last Stylebender is one of the names speculated to be on the main card of UFC 300 with Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Pereira as potential opponents. Adesanya will also be present at UFC 297 to be cageside to watch Dricus Du Plessis challenge Sean Strickland’s middleweight title in the PPV main event in Canada.
Izzy provides fresh return timeline
Israel Adesanya recently gave an interview to Combat Sports on YouTube where he delved into the events of 2023 and expressed his hopes for 2024. In the interview, he disclosed that he sustained an injury and provided a timeline for his return, stating, ‘Probably by the end of next month, maybe, but I think with the way I heal my body, I don’t think it’ll take that long.’
🚨| Israel Adesanya tells @CombatTV that he’s been dealing with an injury but is looking to return to full training at the end of February.
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) January 11, 2024
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“But yeah, end of next month, I’m probably thinking maybe earlier, we’ll see. But I’m going to go do rehab now,” Adesanya further added citing that his body heals quickly and he will be looking to enter full training before late February.
If he begins training only in February, his speculated appearance at UFC 300 might not materialize, given the limited time to enter a training camp. When do you think Israel Adesanya returns to the octagon? Leave your prediction below!
