Former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has claimed promotional boss, Dana White urged him not to fight at UFC 293 in his one-sided title fight loss against former champion, Sean Strickland — claiming the City Kickboxing star has enough money to “chill out.
Adesanya, who is currently in the midst of a three-fight losing skid, has been sidelined since his return at UFC Saudi Arabia back in February, suffering a one-sided second round knockout loss against surging contender, Nassourdine Imavov.
And prior to that, the Nigerian-Kiwi striking ace suffered another stoppage defeat, with incumbent middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis landing a fourth round face crank submission victory in Australia.
Israel Adesanya reveals Dana White pep talk pre-UFC 293
However, according to Adesanya, if White had his way, he would have instructed him to reject a title defense against Strickland at UFC 293 — beginning his career-worst three-fight losing run in the Octagon.
“I was like, nah, I have to fight in Sydney,” Israel Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “I haven’t fought in this side of the world in so long. And then Dana (White) was like, ‘Listen, kid, you’ve got enough money. Just chill out for a while.’ I’m like, yeah, it’s not that. So I was like, nah, I went all stubborn.
And then in hindsight, I’m like, maybe Dana was right,” Israel Adesanya continued. “Maybe I should have just chilled. But again, look, I love these stories. This is how it’s supposed to happen. Adversity is a privilege. Adversity is a privilege.”
Without a victory since 2023, Adesanya finally broke through in his lenghty rivalry against former two-weight champion, Alex Pereira. Rallying in the second round of their title fight in Miami, Adesanya landed a stunning knockout win to regain the undisputed middleweight championship.
