“You’re not going to open your mouth again to compare yourself to me in this s–t.”

Anderson Silva went off in an angry rant aimed at Israel Adesanya after the latter lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland in September 2023. Though Silva hastily deleted the Instagram post, his thoughts about the fight and Izzy became evident. Before UFC 293, the Nigerian-Kiwi star had compared himself to Silva. However, Strickland outclassed him during the fight, shattered his delusions, and pushed him to what many consider the lowest point of the former middleweight champ’s career. Since that defeat, Adesanya has struggled to regain his career momentum.

Right now, ‘The Last Stylebender’ is on a three-fight losing streak, raising questions about whether he might retire if he loses again. It has been over a year since he last fought, but next month at UFC Seattle, the 36-year-old will return to the cage against Joe Pyfer to reaffirm his spot in the top 10. Ahead of his big return, Israel Adesanya has finally broken his silence on the MMA great’s furious rant after his loss over two years ago.

Israel Adesanya holds no grudge against Anderson Silva

“That’s ego, because there was one,” said Israel Adesanya in his latest YouTube video. “I can’t remember what it was, I never got to see it, but David told me after one of my fights when I lost, he(Anderson Silva) put this tweet up and then deleted it. And then David expressed to me what the tweet kind of said, and I was like, ‘Ah, that sucks.’

“Because you know, I look up to the guy. But again, that’s just the child in me. Like, I’m a grown man now, but the child in me still goes, ‘Anderson, no!’ But hey, it is what it is. I still love the guy. Appreciate you, brother.”

At the peak of his middleweight run in the UFC, Israel Adesanya faced Anderson Silva in 2019 at UFC 234. The fight showcased a clash of generations: ‘Spider’ demonstrated his old-school mastery, while at the same time, the Nigerian-Kiwi star used a sharper, modern approach.

Both fighters gave their all, and although no one finished the fight, the final horn handed the victory to Adesanya. But it was clear that the victory came with an asterisk. The Brazilian MMA great was at the tail-end of his career and had already lost 5 of his last six fights. 

However, despite the animosity at the time, both fighters appear to have moved on, with Silva now pursuing a boxing career, while Israel Adesanya prepares to close out his MMA journey. But a rematch seems unlikely, as Adesanya approaches boxing cautiously.

Adesanya is not looking to switch to boxing

Boxing has become a natural next step for UFC stars after their MMA careers. Fighters like Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz, and Ben Askren have already tried their hand in the sport to secure big paydays. Israel Adesanya, however, has chosen not to take that path yet. Even as a former kickboxing champion who won over 70 fights before transitioning to a successful MMA career, he is not entirely sure he might consider boxing once he finishes with the UFC.

That said, Israel Adesanya recently addressed the topic himself.

“For me, my career is going to end in the UFC, I believe. But never say never,” Adesanya said during a Q&A at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA. “I thought about this two months ago, and I always said like, ‘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.”

What do you think about Israel Adesanya choosing not to move into boxing? Do you agree with his decision, or would you like to see him step into the ring for just one fight?