Israel Adesanya says he's 'not going to fight for a long time' after Sean Strickland loss (Video)

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya says he's not going to be returning to the Octagon anytime soon.

“Before this fight I was very like, ‘I know I’m on the back end of my career, so I want to do as many as I can because I know I’m done with this I’m going to miss it,'” Adesanya said on “The Rock” podcast. “I’m trying to do as much as I can. But after this fight, and again, 14 months and four fights, it’s not just the fights, it’s the training and everything. I had injuries going into the (Alex) Pereira fight, you’ve seen that. I don’t make any excuses. Strickland got me on the night because he was the better fighter on the night. He did his work well. He had a good team behind him."

Sean Strickland defeated Adesanya at UFC 293 in September which was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Adesanya didn't talk much after the loss and many wondered what his next move might be.

Israel Adesanya says he's 'definitely not going to retire ' but he won't be fighting for a while

“Now I’m going to take time to look after myself, and I’m not going to fight for a long time. I’m definitely not going to retire because I know me – I’m not leaving like that. I know me. But if I did, I’m fine. I don’t need to prove anything else. But I know what I can do and what I can change in my lifestyle to make my body adapt to where I need to be. I’m going to heal myself up. You won’t see me fight for a long time.”

Prior to the loss, he had just two losses in the UFC. Once to Alex Pereira in 2022 and once to Jan Błachowicz in 2021.

Shortly after the loss news broke that Adesanya had been involved in a DUI incident just weeks before his fight with Strickland. He pleaded guilty to the crime in a New Zealand court and is awaiting his punishment.