Israel Adesanya Opens Up on Receiving ‘Sage Advice’ From UFC GOAT Amid Recent Losing Streak

Israel Adesanya is going through the roughest patch of not only his UFC run but his entire MMA career so far. He’s on a three-fight losing skid, and some fans are starting to believe that maybe the former 2-time middleweight champion has lost his shine inside the Octagon. But Adesanya’s not done, and he seems to have gained some extra motivation after having a chat with the Hall of Fame legend, Georges St-Pierre.

The former 2-time champion said that he was annoyed by people asking him if he’s going to retire soon. He may be on a losing streak, but that doesn’t mean his career’s over. With so much pressure, it’s easy for fighters to get uncomfortable and stressed out thinking about retirement, but for ‘Izzy,’ he looked to Georges St-Pierre as an example whenever there was something he needed to get clarification on.

Israel Adesanya revealed that he often bumps into the former double champion Hall of Fame legend when he’s least expecting it. And guess what? It turns out to be the right timing for ‘The Last Stylebender’ as he’s able to get some wise words from Georges St-Pierre, and after his third defeat in a row, ‘Rush’ gave him another “sage advice,” as ‘Izzy’ put it, about the current state of his career and what he needs to know before continuing to fight. And that is if Adesanya still has the motivation to do better as he had before.

“GSP is like my, he’s like my genie in this game. Whenever I need him, he’ll just pop up randomly out of nowhere. He gave me some good advice because he’s been there and done that,” said Israel Adesanya on the Young Man Ramble podcast on his YouTube channel. “He just gave me some really sage advice about, like, you know. ‘Now you’re old enough… if the hunger not there, don’t force it.’ Just like, let it come and let it build up.”

George St-Pierre’s words lit a fire in Israel Adesanya. Following his loss to Nassourdine Imavov, the former champ’s coach would mention that he’s not forcing Adesanya to come back and train. It’s up to the Nigerian-born star to make that decision, which he made after those inspiring words from the former dual-weight champion. “And that’s why, now, I’ve had my first sparring back, and it was a pleasure to do it with Kamaru. Straight away, I got the itch. I’m like, ‘Wooo,'” Adesanya added.

April 8, 2023, Miami, FL, Miami, Florida, United States: MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 8: Israel Adesanya celebrates his victory over Alex Pereira in their middleweight fight during the UFC 287 event at Kaseya Center on April 8, 2023 in Miami, FL, United States. Miami, FL United States – ZUMAp175 20230408_zsa_p175_152 Copyright: xAlejandroxSalazarx

Meanwhile, Adesanya also revealed an important fact about one of his recent three losses. It seems like he could have avoided one of those if he had just listened to what Dana White had to say. Let’s take a look at that front.

Dana White told Israel Adesanya not to take the Sean Strickland fight

It all started with UFC 293 when a lopsided upset loss to Sean Strickland planted the seeds for Israel Adesanya’s next two losses. But guess what? Adesanya claims Dana White wanted him to think about it because ‘The Last Stylebender’ was all in on the idea of fighting the controversial star. Despite the warning signs, Adesanya went ahead with the fight, which he seems to regret a bit.

“I was like, ‘I have to fight in Sydney, I have to fight in Sydney. I haven’t fought on this side of the world for so long. Then Dana [White] was like, ‘Listen, kid, you have enough money, just chill out for a while,'” Israel Adesanya further stated. “I said, ‘Nah,’ and I was stubborn, but in hindsight, I’m like, ‘Maybe Dana was right. Maybe I should’ve just chilled.’ But again, I love these stories—this is how it’s supposed to happen.”

Regardless, there is no lamenting about the past for Israel Adesanya. He claims that “adversity is a privilege,” showing that he wants to make a thunderous comeback and prove to the fight community that the wheels haven’t fallen off yet. Well, what do you think? Will Adesanya be able to get back to his best in his next fight? Let us know in the comments down below.

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