ISRAEL ADESANYA has issued a fresh statement on his possible retirement from mixed martial arts.
‘The Last Stylebender’ suffered a crushing second-round TKO defeat to Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Seattle last Sunday morning.
Defeat to the American was Adesanya’s fourth on the bounce and FIFTH in his last six outings.
It strengthened the vocal calls for him to hang up his gloves, which first emerged after his second-round TKO defeat to Nassourdine Imavov last February.
Adesanya, 36, is well aware of the growing pleas for him to bring the curtain down on his Hall-of-Fame mixed martial arts career.
But retirement seemingly couldn’t be any further from the mind of the former long-reigning middleweight champion.
He wrote on Instagram: “I know it’s hard on my people seeing me fall.
“I promise you it’s harder on me.
“Regardless, we respawn and go again 🎲 🎲 .”
A few hours later, he added: “Rest. Reset. Respawn.”
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Adesanya – the first African inductee into the UFC’s Hall of Fame – was bullish when asked how he moves forward after the loss.
He told former two-division champion Daniel Cormier: “You keep going.
“Again and again and again and again and again. I’m not f****** leaving.
“You’ll never stop me. I might get beat, but I’ll always remain undefeated.”
Adesanya, like he was in his loss to Imavov, was winning the fight before being stung by a big shot by Pyfer and being finished on the ground.
UFC President and CEO Dana White said of the Nigerian-born New Zealander’s display: “He looked good.
“He looked good. He looked fast [and] was using angles. I thought he looked great.”
