{"id":930764,"date":"2026-10-16T22:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T22:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/930764\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T22:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T22:46:10","slug":"israel-adesanyas-ufc-return-against-shara-magomedov-reportedly-in-talks-as-fans-issue-blunt-retirement-warning-mma-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/930764\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel Adesanya\u2019s UFC return against Shara Magomedov reportedly in talks as fans issue blunt retirement warning | MMA News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IsraelIsrael Adesanya\u2019s UFC return against Shara Magomedov reportedly in talks as fans issue blunt retirement warning Israel Adesanya could return to the UFC on December 5, 2026, against Shara \u201cBullet\u201d Magomedov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported the possible middleweight main event, but the UFC has not officially announced the fight. The news has raised concerns among fans because Adesanya has lost four fights in a row. His latest defeat came against Joe Pyfer in March 2026. Now, fans are questioning whether the former two-time champion can recover or if another loss could push him toward retirement.<\/p>\n

Why Israel Adesanya vs. Shara Magomedov Has Fans Worried About the Former Champion<\/p>\n

Ariel Helwani reported the possible matchup during his show, naming Magomedov as Adesanya\u2019s opponent for the December 5 event. However, neither the UFC nor the two fighters has confirmed the bout publicly. Until an official announcement comes, the fight remains a reported matchup rather than a confirmed booking.The concern comes from Adesanya\u2019s recent results. At UFC Seattle on March 28, Joe Pyfer stopped him with strikes in the second round. Adesanya entered that fight ranked No. 4, while Pyfer was ranked No. 14. The loss added to a difficult run for the former champion, who has not won since knocking out Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in April 2023.Adesanya has also made changes outside the Octagon as he looks for a way back. In May, he parted ways with longtime coach Eugene Bareman after working together for 16 years. He later left City Kickboxing and joined Alex Volkanovski\u2019s gym in Sydney, Australia, to train in a different environment.The reported fight also has a history behind it. Magomedov called out Adesanya after knocking out Armen Petrosyan with two spinning backfists at UFC 308 in October 2024. Adesanya responded in a YouTube video, saying, \u201cKeep my name out of your f***ing mouth.\u201dNow, more than two years after that exchange, the two could finally meet inside the Octagon. For Adesanya, the matchup offers a chance to end his losing streak, but it also brings fresh questions about his future.<\/p>\n

Fans Call for Israel Adesanya to Retire if He Loses to Shara Magomedov<\/p>\n

The possible matchup has led some fans to question whether Adesanya should continue fighting if he cannot beat Magomedov.One fan wrote, \u201cIf Izzy don\u2019t win this, hang it up.\u201dAnother commented, \u201cRetirement fight for Israel,\u201d while a third said, \u201cIzzy should wrap it up if he can\u2019t beat Shara Bullet.\u201dSome fans also pointed to Magomedov\u2019s eye condition. The Russian fighter has vision in only one eye, but that has not stopped him from competing in the UFC.Another fan wrote, \u201cIzzy SHOULD win this fight. Unless he\u2019s actually that washed.\u201dAdesanya\u2019s recent losses explain why some supporters are worried. He lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision at UFC 293 in September 2023. He then faced Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 in August 2024, where he lost by submission in the fourth round.In February 2025, Nassourdine Imavov stopped Adesanya in the second round at UFC Saudi Arabia. His loss to Pyfer in March 2026 made it four straight defeats.Magomedov, meanwhile, has recovered from his own setback. He lost to Michael \u201cVenom\u201d Page by unanimous decision in February 2025. He later returned to winning form with victories over Marc-Andr\u00e9 Barriault and Michel Pereira. A fight against Adesanya would give him a chance to earn a major win against a former champion.At 37, Adesanya still has the experience of a former two-time middleweight champion. But another defeat could increase the pressure on him to consider retirement. A win, on the other hand, could help him rebuild his confidence and continue his UFC career.For now, the matchup remains unconfirmed. If it goes ahead, Adesanya will have a chance to answer his critics inside the Octagon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israel Adesanya\u2019s UFC return against Shara Magomedov reportedly in talks as fans issue blunt retirement warning Israel Adesanya…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":930765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[497573,497571,64,63,786,785,9226,20528,85,787,497572],"class_list":["post-930764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-adesanya-retirement","tag-adesanya-vs-magomedov","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-mma-news","tag-shara-magomedov","tag-sports","tag-ufc","tag-ufc-fight-announcement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=930764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/930765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=930764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=930764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=930764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}