Israel Adesanya says that when he retires, the door closes and stays closed. The two-time UFC middleweight champion laid out his post-fighting plans on his YouTube channel this week. He talked about chasing risk outside the cage, picking up acting work he once had to refuse, and leaning on advice from Georges St-Pierre so he never becomes the fighter who keeps wandering back.
The comeback trap was the part he spent the most time on. Adesanya said he has watched people in the sport struggle to let go of the accolades and the spotlight, then return because they don’t know what else to do with themselves. “I never want to be that guy, so once I’m done, I’m f*cking done,” he said.
His plan for the adrenaline is a little unusual. He floated the idea of doing something risky every few months, naming running with the bulls and entering the World Series of Poker. He was cheerfully honest about his card skills: “See, my secret with poker is I don’t know what the f*ck I’m doing, which is my best weapon, I believe.”
The acting news is the most concrete thing he shared. Adesanya said he was offered roles in two really big movies during his title run and declined both because he had title defenses to prepare for. He didn’t name the films. He said another role has come up recently, and this time the producers told him they could work around his schedule. He also noted he isn’t fighting at the pace he used to.
He credited St-Pierre, whom he called “my Fairy Godmother,” with helping him see the options ahead of him. Adesanya said very few people can relate to where the two of them have been, so when GSP gives him advice, he listens. He added that the content he has been filming, plus some travel over the next few weeks, has reassured him he’ll be fine once fighting is over.
Where his career stands
Adesanya is 37 and has more than 16 years in professional combat sports. He is also in the worst stretch of his career, with four straight losses. His recent defeats to Joe Pyfer, Nassourdine Imavov and Dricus du Plessis all ended inside the distance. Sean Strickland, who took the 185-pound belt from him and now holds it for a second time after a split decision over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 in May, spent this same week ranting on social media. Strickland argued that the UFC doesn’t pay champions enough to walk away, so they come back and ruin their legacies. Adesanya’s video lands as a direct counterpoint to that argument, even though he never mentioned Strickland. No next fight has been announced for Adesanya.
My take: I believe him more than I believe most retirement talk. He isn’t romanticizing one last title run. He’s describing hobbies, a film schedule and a mentor who has already done the clean exit. The guys who come back are usually the ones with nothing waiting for them on the other side, and Adesanya just told us exactly what’s waiting for him. If that next role is real and the poker gets as weird as he promises, I’d bet the four-fight skid becomes the last chapter he lets anyone else write.
