The last time Israel Adesanya stepped inside the cage at UFC Seattle in March, ‘The Last Stylebender’ suffered his fourth consecutive loss. Even so, retirement wasn’t something the former middleweight champion was ready to consider, even though a wide chorus of MMA fans expected it. Now, the 36-year-old has admitted that his own ego has prevented him from considering hanging up his gloves for good.

The 24-6 UFC veteran recently appeared on Demetrious Johnson’s podcast to make that point clear.

“Even if we take a hit… four in a row for me, no matter what, the equity… it might be down, but we still up [compared to] most people who even came into this game,” Israel Adesanya told Mighty Mouse. “That’s something that I don’t want to rest on because I’m not going to be like, ‘Well, I’ve done what I had to do. I can lose now.’ No, F–k that. Also, my ego is very tied into this. 

“I know that what I can still do. And also like for me… I don’t want this to be the writing of my story cuz I feel like… Yes, I took part in this, but this is not what I wanted to write. This is not how I wanted to end. This is not how I wanted to conclude this chapter of my life. So that’s why I’m still adamant that the grass is green on this side, and I can tend to it, garden it properly, and let it be lush and bloom properly.”

While Adesanya remains adamant about continuing his career, he might not be entirely wrong in doing so. Though he may have lost to Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle, he looked like his natural self before the stoppage came in the second round. He cracked Pyfer with several stiff punches and punished the lead leg with a series of nasty kicks. It had looked like Adesanya had Pyfer in trouble and his confidence appeared to be surging. 

But all that changed once Pyfer took the fight to the ground and started raining down heavy blows on Adesanya, forcing the referee to step in to stop the fight. This suggests that Adesanya, despite his age and his recent performances, could bounce back with a win in the next fight. However, that’s not entirely guaranteed, considering how many UFC legends have declined in the later part of their careers. 

Take Tony Ferguson and Henry Cejudo, for example. ‘El Cucuy’ went on a historic eight-fight losing streak and never really managed to bounce back before exiting the sport. Similarly, Cejudo, a UFC legend with titles in two separate divisions, never recovered after his May 2023 loss to Aljamain Sterling. He went on a three-fight skid and finally retired in December 2025 after his final loss to rising star Payton Talbott.

Regardless, Adesanya’s comments came at an interesting moment. After Adesanya’s last loss, it was Demetrious Johnson who had urged ‘The Last Stylebender’ to call it quits. Johnson said he “would retire” if he were in Adesanya’s shoes. He acknowledged that money and the “chess aspect of [fighting]” might be pushing Adesanya to keep fighting.

But since Adesanya had already made enough money, he had to find “something else to keep your mind engaged.” While Johnson and many fans may want to see him retire, that doesn’t mean no one’s backing Adesanya’s decision to continue fighting.

Daniel Cormier backed Israel Adesanya 

After Adesanya’s last loss, UFC HoFer Daniel Cormier felt Adesanya still had more to offer inside the Octagon. While DC acknowledged that Adesanya had made mistakes in his fight against the surging contender at UFC Seattle, which may have cost him the fight, Cormier didn’t feel the former middleweight champion’s fighting days were at an end. 

“People were wondering… if Adesanya didn’t get the job done tonight, if it would be it, if we had seen the last of ‘The Stylebender.’ To me, it did not sound like he is almost remotely done with his UFC career,” Cormier said. “And honestly, the way that he was fighting, I would encourage him to keep going. Because he was fighting really well.”

However, it must be considered that if Izzy continues fighting, he runs the risk of the UFC stepping in to end their contract with him after another loss or two. UFC legend Anderson Silva was in a similar situation after losing seven fights in his last nine UFC bouts. After yet another loss against Uriah Hall in 2020, Dana White stepped in and released Silva from the contract despite the Brazilian great being one of the biggest stars in the promotion.

For Adesanya, it’s currently unclear who he would end up facing next. He could face someone out of the middleweight top 15 rankings, but when that may happen is unclear at the moment. But if that too goes sideways, it would be an appropriate time to consider retirement.