Boxing has seen plenty of UFC veterans step into the ring over the past few years, but imagine the buzz if former UFC champion Israel Adesanya actually walked into a boxing ring. Known for his electrifying, hip-hop walkouts that fire up the Octagon, he could easily send fans into a frenzy. Unfortunately for fans, Adesanya made it clear, “My career is going to end in the UFC.”

After dominating kickboxing and MMA for nearly a decade, the 36-year-old Israel Adesanya now approaches the end of his MMA journey. With only a handful of bouts left before retirement, the finish line is clearly in sight. While he still looks unstoppable inside the Octagon, unlike other UFC fighters ready to face Jake Paul for big-money boxing bouts, Izzy has expressed doubts about making the transition for perfectly valid reasons.

Why Israel Adesanya won’t step into boxing ring against Jake Paul or any other boxer

“I thought about this two months ago, and I always said like,” Israel Adesanya said in a Q&A at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, “nah, you’d never catch me. This is the ultimate form of fighting, which is mixed martial arts. You are using all your limbs, all your weapons. How can I now, as one of the guys in this game who’s been up there?”

Although Israel Adesanya has boxing experience, he made his mark in the ring. During his kickboxing career, he stepped into the boxing ring six times, winning five fights across the regional Australia-New Zealand circuits and capturing the Super 8 League Light Heavy Weight title. His last pro boxing bout was in 2015. Now, though, Izzy is reluctant to jump back into boxing, opting instead to safeguard his well-earned legacy.

“I always said no because I felt like my legacy is already set in stone. But everyone has a number, and I think I got to my number two months ago. I was like, you know what? It’s really high. I don’t think anyone,” Adesanya added.

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For Israel Adesanya, a boxing matchup with Jake Paul within his weight class could be ideal, and he could also face Anderson Silva, since they’ve already crossed paths in the UFC. That said, Adesanya hasn’t fully ruled out the idea.

Still, The Nigerian-kiwi star believes very few can realistically afford him for a boxing match, given his estimated value. “Maybe Turki (Alalshikh) can afford it, but nah,” Adesanya continued.

Adesanya looks set to push the limits in his next Octagon appearance

Despite approaching 40, Israel Adesanya isn’t looking to take unnecessary risks. He once had enough power to put his opponents to sleep. The former kickboxing and UFC champion is currently going through a rough patch in his career, coming off three consecutive losses, which has led many critics to question Adesanya’s decline. However, in reality, Adesanya has nothing left to prove. Titles, money, and accolades are already his. He now lives comfortably and wants to focus on fun, exciting fights inside the Octagon for whatever bouts remain on his contract.

“Whenever I’m out and about in Auckland, every day I always get the ‘Oh I hear you’re retired!’, and I used to explain myself,” Adesanya said. For me it’s not about belts anymore. I’ve got two shiny belts at home. It looks good, but I just wanna fight. I just wanna do things like I did on my way to the belt.”

I still fought really well when I was defending the belt, but I wanna fight more freely and try risky s*** like I used to. Remember the Brad Tavares fight? End of the first round I went for a roll that failed. I want to try s*** like that again,”Adesanya shared this during a Q&A at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA.

What do you think about Israel Adesanya’s retirement plans? Do you feel his decision has put millions in potential earnings on hold, even though Anthony Joshua recently earned around $90 million by fighting Paul? Share your thoughts below.