Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has said that he plans to be out of mixed martial arts in five years ahead of his rematch with Alex Pereira.
The Nigerian star was defeated by long-term rival Pereira last year for the third time in his fighting career which saw him lose his title. Now ‘The Last Stylebender’ faces a daunting task of overturning his defeat in a rematch with ‘Poatan’ on April 9 at UFC 287 in Miami.
Despite suffering defeat last time out, it was Adesanya’s first in the middleweight division since joining the UFC and there is still plenty left to accomplish if he is able to recover his crown later this year. But the 33-year-old has insisted he will try to end his career on a high and wants to return to his status as the king of the division.
“I’ve been in the UFC five years, right?,” Adesanya said during a press conference in Australia while discussing his upcoming rematch with Pereira.
“If I’m being honest, I’m not gonna be here in five years. I have other things to do in life. I love this sh*t and I’m f**king great at it but I never attach myself to this and I’m gonna leave on top.
“So yeah, that’s the place where I feel like you should leave. But again, I’ve been here five years in the UFC, (snaps fingers) it went like that. We’ll see how long I’m here for but I don’t think it’s gonna be five years,” Adesanya said.
Adesanya has become a hugely popular figure in martial arts and is currently the UFC’s second-highest-paid fighter behind friend Conor McGregor.
He will be hoping for a successful revenge mission this time out, having failed to overturn his two kickboxing defeats to the Brazilian after being stopped in the final round. The Nigerian-born New Zealander has a record of 23 wins and two losses.
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