Israel Adesanya is no longer seeking a rematch with an unexpected rival.<\/p>\n
Fans won\u2019t soon forget one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history back in Sept. 2023. Adesanya put the UFC Middleweight Championship at stake against Sean Strickland. \u201cThe Last Stylebender\u201d had no answer for the relentless pressure of Strickland, and he dropped the 185-pound title via unanimous decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n Many assumed a rematch between the two would\u2019ve happened by now, but it has yet to materialize. During an interview with Submission Radio<\/a>, Adesanaya didn\u2019t seem taken aback that the rematch hasn\u2019t happened. In fact, he has his sights set on other middleweights (via MMAFighting<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not surprised,\u201d Adesanya said. \u201cIf you want to get something done right, do it right the first time. That\u2019s the lesson I learned. And he\u2019s doing other things in his own life. He made the money he wanted to make. But again, me as well, I don\u2019t want to be waiting around. I\u2019ve moved on. I just want to fight.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I will fight \u2014 we\u2019ll see. I just want to fight but we\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n Adesanya has yet to pick up a win since his sensational knockout victory over Alex Pereira back in April 2023. Since then, \u201cThe Last Stylebender\u201d has suffered losses to Strickland, Dricus du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov. The defeats against du Plessis and Imavov were finishes.<\/p>\n