Former MMA fighter Chael Sonnen suggests that Israel Adesanya could return to the cafe from his hiatus in April 2024 instead of 2027.
Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) announced that he’ll be taking a hiatus till 2027 after losing his middleweight title to Sean Strickland this past September at UFC 293.
“The Stylebender” didn’t reveal how much time off he’s planning on taking, but the former middleweight champion has been warned that it may not bode well for him when he’s back if he takes a long break.
And when Adesanya spoke to the media during the ‘Day of Reckoning’ boxing event, he hinted that was only a joke which opens the window of many different possibilities that could also include him as part of the historic UFC 300 event.
A show in Las Vegas in which every major star in the company wants to be featured but President Dana White will only select a limited number of fighters to be part of that card. He just revealed that he would be making announcements soon, but there is still no news on who might Adesanya fight but Sonnen claims to know the answer to that question.
“The reason that Strickland and Du Plessis was rushed to the marketplace is because the winner is going to take on Izzy at UFC 300. That isn’t done, which I have also made very clear, but that is the option that is tempting to be preserved the most,” the former UFC star said on his Youtube channel.
“Izzy has spoken on this, Izzy hasn’t given us a commitment but he has come close. One thing that I do prefer is that Izzy goes first. I would prefer that Izzy prior to Strickland vs. Du Plessis goes first and says I’ll be waiting for you in April at 300.”
“The reason is because while I know that is the match they are trying to procure, if Izzy goes second, which means we’ve established who the winner is and then Izzy makes his choice it gives the perception that it’s a favorable matchup in Izzy’s opinion. I will agree to it after I know specifically who it is. That isn’t how Izzy operates. That is not part of the Israel Adesanya story, he takes on anybody, he takes on the hardest guys, so I would just prefer that he went first.”
