Israel Adesanya isn’t concerned if he becomes UFC champion again or not: ‘I’m not chasing the belt but the belt chases me’

Israel Adesanya faces a lot of unknowns when he competes in the main event at the UFC Saudi Arabia event on Saturday.

For the first time in his career, the former middleweight champion is returning to action off two straight losses after falling to Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis in consecutive fights. While he’s obviously competed in non-title fights before, it’s been five years since Adesanya set foot in the octagon without a UFC championship going up for grabs and that was also the last time he fought on a non pay-per-view event.

That narrative may drive the conversation ahead of his upcoming fight against Nassourdine Imavov but don’t expect Adesanya to approach this matchup any differently much less being obsessed with trying to avoid a third straight loss.

“I’m not thinking like that,” Adesanya told MMA Fighting on behalf of Stake.com. “I’m just going in there ready to dominate. I’m not thinking I don’t want another loss. That’s a weird way to frame it because I’m just thinking of what I don’t want. I’m in that frequency.

“No, I have not been thinking that. I’m just going to go in there and do what I do, do my best. I know what I am when I’m at my best.”

Adesanya can’t say he’s ever fought with the idea that he can’t afford to lose dancing around his head but he keenly remembers being in a must-win situation.

That came back in 2023 when Adesanya faced longtime rival Alex Pereira in a rematch after he lost his middleweight title and fell to the Brazilian for a third time after two previous losses in kickboxing matches.

“When I fought Alex in Miami I had that ‘I have to win’ [mindset],” Adesanya said. “I wasn’t saying I can’t lose. I was saying I have to win.

“Again, it’s a flip because you’re tapping into that. ‘Oh I can’t lose, I can’t lose. Your brain just recognizes ‘lose, lose, lose.’ So when I fought Alex for the f*cking fourth time, I was just telling myself I have to win. I have to win. I was like win. Win. It’s just a different way of looking at things.”

The end result? Adesanya scored a vicious second round knockout to reclaim the title and exorcise the demon that Pereira had become in his career.

This time around, the 35-year-old veteran isn’t putting any extra pressure on himself as he prepares to face Imavov in Saudi Arabia. He recognizes like any fight there’s going to be some expectations he puts on himself but Adesanya vows that no outside forces are going to affect the way he performs.

“There’s not really pressure,” Adesanya said. “I put pressure on myself when I get out there or when I get out to Saudi Arabia but when it comes down to the fight itself, I don’t feel too much pressure. Because there’s no belt on the line but in the same breath, it feels like a title fight because you’re fighting me and it’s five rounds. I still train for five rounds. Not really much has changed in that aspect.”

When it comes to the title, Adesanya never feels like he’s too far away from that possibility, especially with du Plessis and Strickland about to face off in a rematch just one week after he faces Imavov.

Because Adesanya established himself as one of the greatest middleweights in the history of the sport, his sheer existence in the UFC is going to keep him in that conversation but don’t expect him to be the one to start those talks again.

“Same as I’ve always had, I never really chased the belt,” Adesanya said. “I always knew it would come around. I knew what I was going to do in the game. I knew it was going to come around.

“Again now, I just plan on keep winning and it will circle back. I’m not chasing the belt. But the belt chases me.”

There are numerous examples in the past where champions lost the title and never quite got back to that same level again. Look no further than the middleweight division to see how that’s happened several times.

Robert Whittaker ruled as champion, lost the belt to Adesanya and never got it back again. Luke Rockhold lost the title to Michael Bisping and he never tasted UFC gold again. The same goes for Chris Weidman, who fell to Rockhold and then faced a rollercoaster ride of the rest of his UFC career but he never got back to a title fight again.

Adesanya isn’t allowing the past or the future consume him because he just wants to go out, perform at his best and have fun while doing it. The title isn’t on his mind but Adesanya knows he’s not going to allow Imavov to make a name off him and that might be the only real motivation he needs.

“When I was coming up, I had guys who were at the top that I had to fight to get my chance,” Adesanya explained. “They gave me my shot. Now I’m at this point in my career to give him a chance. He gets to fight Israel Adesanya and it’s the biggest fight of his life.

“Can he rise to the occasion? We’re yet to find out. My job is to make sure he doesn’t. He’s a good fighter. He’s slick. He mixes his grappling with his striking well. He’s got all right footwork. This is different. When you get in there with me it’s a lot different. The moment can get to some people. I don’t know if it will get to him before I do.”