Israel Adesanya Contemplates Retirement After Three Straight Losses

The former UFC middleweight champion is considering calling it a career after his next 10 fights.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Israel Adesanya, the former two-time UFC middleweight champion, has acknowledged that he is nearing the end of his combat sports career. After losing three straight fights, the 36-year-old 'Stylebender' says he plans to fight around 10 more times before retiring, likely by 2027 or 2028. Adesanya was originally set to return to the Octagon on short notice last year but had to withdraw due to an injury in training camp.

Why it matters

Adesanya's potential retirement would mark the end of an era for one of the UFC's most dominant champions of the last decade. As he approaches the tail end of his career, his future fights will be closely watched to see if he can regain his championship form or if father time has finally caught up to the aging star.

The details

Adesanya has lost his last three fights, raising questions about whether he has moved past his prime years. He is set to fight Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle on March 28, and a loss there would be a major setback. However, Adesanya says he plans to fight around 10 more times before retiring, likely by 2027 or 2028. He was originally set to return to the Octagon on short notice last year to fight Reinier de Ridder, but had to withdraw due to an injury in training camp.

  • Adesanya is set to fight Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle on March 28, 2026.
  • Adesanya was originally set to return to the Octagon on short notice last year to fight Reinier de Ridder, but had to withdraw due to an injury in training camp.

The players

Israel Adesanya

A former two-time UFC middleweight champion who is nearing the end of his combat sports career.

Joe Pyfer

Adesanya's upcoming opponent at UFC Seattle on March 28, 2026.

Reinier de Ridder

The fighter Adesanya was originally set to replace on short notice last year before having to withdraw due to injury.

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What they’re saying

“I know it's less than 10. It can't be more than 10. So if I fight now, I fight one more time towards the end of the year, maybe. That's two fights. If I do two fights a year, next year I can still fight.”

— Israel Adesanya (YouTube)

“That moment got taken away from me, but that's, in hindsight, the best thing even though I wasn't happy with it then.”

— Israel Adesanya (Yahoo Sports)

What’s next

The judge in Adesanya's upcoming fight against Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle on March 28 will determine if Adesanya can bounce back from his recent losses or if he is nearing the end of his career.

The takeaway

As one of the UFC's most dominant champions of the last decade, Adesanya's potential retirement would mark the end of an era. His remaining fights will be closely watched to see if he can regain his championship form or if father time has caught up to the aging star.