After losing the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland in September last year, the two-time champion took a step back from the sport and took some time for himself.
For the 35-year-old, it was a time of discovery.
“I had to go through a lot of life stuff, a lot of soul searching and a lot of [asking] what do I want from this game? What do I want from life? Where do I see myself? What do I want my legacy to be? All these questions I had to ask myself and have an honest talk to myself,” Adesanya said.
“Eventually I just knew when I came back, I wanted to be renewed, reinvented. Same animal but different beast.”
Ultimately, the time off turned into the longest layoff of his UFC career – with his return against current champion Dricus du Plessis (21-2; 7-0 UFC) headlining UFC 305 in Perth on Sunday coming 11 months on.
It’s an interesting match-up to return to, with du Plessis bringing an awkward all-gas, no-brakes style to the octagon that so, far, none of his UFC opponents have been able to get the better of.
It will be a new version of Adesanya (24-3; 13-3 UFC) that steps into the spotlight in Perth, after addressing some injury concerns, starting to eat better, and tapping into resources like the High-Performance Sport New Zealand national performance centre in Cambridge in a bid to build the best version of himself.
Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France – Adesanya’s teammates from Auckland City Kickboxing gym who are also in action at UFC 305 on Sunday – have noted as much this week, noting how hard Adesanya had been hitting in training camp and the intensity he was bringing to the gym. Returning from injury is something of a theme for the Kiwi contingent, with Hooker (arm) and Kara-France (concussion) also returning after long layoffs.
Adesanya said the changes he had experienced during his time off went beyond the physical.
“I’ve definitely raised the level of athlete that I am by taking this break,” he said.
“By doing the right things to let my body heal, and even just remove myself from the game completely for three months or whatever it was. I don’t know how much [time] I’ve added [to my career] but I’ve definitely raised the level of fighter that I am,” he said.
The fight between Adesanya and du Plessis will cap off a banner day for New Zealand mixed martial arts, with Adesanya, Kara-France and Hooker featuring in the last three fights of the card. It will be the first time three New Zealand fighters have closed out a UFC event with back-to-back-to-back bouts. Kara-France and Hooker will both be fighting to improve their status in the title picture of their respective divisions, with No 4 ranked flyweight Kara-France against No 7 Steve Erceg (who comes in off a razor-thin loss to champion Alexandre Pantoja) and No 11 lightweight Hooker against No 5 Mateusz Gamrot. Junior Tafa also appears on the card, fighting Brazil’s Valter Walker in the featured preliminary bout.
Adesanya goes into his bout with the opportunity to join an exclusive group of UFC athletes to have three separate title reigns in the same division.
That isn’t the motivation, however. When he steps into the octagon against du Plessis, the belt will be a byproduct of his main objective – adding the South African to his list of conquests.
Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will fight for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 305 in Perth on Sunday. Photo / Getty Images
“I’m different now,” he said.
“I’m not trying to look towards the future. I’m putting everything on this fight. I’m not a guy who needs to fight for the belt because I’ve never done it before and this is my one dream. I’m just focused on this fight, beat this guy up and I’ll deal with whatever comes next when it comes.”
Adesanya and du Plessis have had some fiery moments in their long road to a meeting inside the octagon, initially spurred by comments made by du Plessis last year about African-born former UFC title holders Adesanya (Nigeria), Kamaru Usman (Nigeria) and Francis Ngannou (Cameroon) not being true African champions because they no longer lived on the continent.
Since then, they have had some heated face-offs and a couple of targeted dates. Du Plessis even called out Adesanya after winning the title from Strickland in January, but they will finally get a chance to settle things on Sunday.
“I think you guys will see the best me you’ve seen yet. I’m the biggest I’ve ever been, the most muscular I’ve ever been. I feel faster. I surprise myself sometimes with the speed that I’m hitting with. I’m not really hitting hard, I’m just really sharp; I feel like a blade in this one.
“It’s been good to refresh myself and reset myself. Now, let’s get it.”
Follow the Herald’s live updates of UFC 305 from 2pm on Sunday.
UFC 305
RAC Arena, Perth. Sunday, August 18.
Main card (from 2pm on Sky Arena and Sky Sport Now)
