Not an Ounce of ‘Bitterness’ in Israel Adesanya Despite Tough UFC Losses, Sean O’Malley’s Coach Reveals

Israel Adesanya  dominated the middleweight category for 4 years in UFC. But after a climb to the top came his downfall in 2025. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is on a losing streak as of late and is running on 0-3 right now. The former middleweight champ suffered devastating defeats in both of the encounters since his comeback. This rough patch started ever since UFC 293 against Sean Strickland. Adesanya also endured a unanimous decision loss and this took away his middleweight strap.

Adding to this setback were UFC 305 and UFC Saudi Arabia 2025 (first non title fight in 5 years). However he is not giving up so easily even though he might be unsure about his next move in UFC. ‘Izzy’ keeps on training and recently trained with team Sean O’Malley.

In an interview with ESPN MMA, ‘Suga’s’ coach Tim Welch detailed his experience of holding the mitts for Adesanya. While speaking in his YouTube channel he narrated  Adesanya’s mentality following the losses. The 35-year-old said that Adesanya did not feel the stress of expectations after achieving important accolades in his career. Welch said, “I didn’t know what to expect with Izzy. I have seen him a couple of times in fight weeks and like just say him but you never know what people are dealing with in fight weeks. They’re cutting weight I didn’t know about him. But he came and hung out with us and it was crazy just how humble the dude was. How humble he was and how just nice of a dude he was. And like you’d think he would kind of be bitter he is coming off three losses he may be bitter or just bad mood but he wasn’t. He just seemed so at peace.”

 

January 31, 2025, Riyadh, Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia: Israel Adesanya steps on the scale for the UFC FN Saudi Arabia: Adesanya vs. Imavov official weigh-ins at Crown Plaza RDC on January 31, 2025, in Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. /PxImages Riyadh Saudi Arabia – ZUMAp175 20250131_zsa_p175_011 Copyright: xDannyxPerezx

It is true that Adesanya has achieved the highest accolades and cemented his name in the UFC as one of the best middleweights. It took ‘Izzy’ just 6 fights to win the interim middleweight title at UFC 236. And we all know how amazing his fight with Kevin Gastelum was. Meanwhile, Adesanya also achieved the title of two-time middleweight champ before he lost the title recently. ‘Izzy’ has no plans to stop since he is still training with various coaches and fitness enthusiasts including former Navy SEAL Davind Goggins.

Israel Adesanya labels David Goggins ‘a self-proclaimed psychopath’

‘The Last Stylebender’ has already given a green light to the UFC brass about the next fight saying, “I’ve officially requested an opponent for my next UFC fight.”  On top of that, he is keeping in shape by training with the most brutal trainers. In a run to become the best version of himself, he decided to train with former Navy SEAL David Goggins who is known for his HIT and brutal workouts.

In a recent interview in Our Yeah, Adesanya chatted alongside Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, and Eugene Bareman. He spoke about his days of hell with Goggins, ‘The Last Stylebender’ revealed, “One thing he did say, which I am taking with me. I went there just because people think it’s an everyday thing. No, I wanted to just feel that bit of weight, and he took me to it. And one thing he said was, ‘Where your world ends, mine begins,’ and I held on to that and that feeling. Yeah, so, I got what I came for.”

He also added about Goggins’ mentality saying, “He’s chilling, bro. And he’s a self-proclaimed psychopath, and I’m glad he’s doing that rather than burying bodies in the desert, ’cause, yeah, he’s a madman.”

Now that ‘Izzy’ is preparing for war, do you think he will come back and get a title shot? If he loses again then his path is bleak. What do you think will happen?

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