Israel Adesanya shares how a near-death experience weeks before his Dricus du Plessis fight changed his outlook on life
Israel Adesanya is set to face Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 305 on 17 Aug. in a highly anticipated event. Ahead of his return, 'The Last Stylebender' recently shared how a near-death experience has helped him recalibrate his perspective on life.
Adesanya will be making his first appearance in the hallowed octagon at UFC 305 since his shocking defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Following the loss, he announced that he would be taking an extended break from fighting. The former two-time champion cited several nagging injuries as one of the main reasons for his decision.
But ahead of his return against du Plessis, the 35-year-old explained how he realized that there are bigger things in life than fighting. He appeared on a New Zealand radio station, The Rock, and said:
"This fight's awesome, it's really important to me. One of the most important fights of my life, but it's not everything... Last week something happened where I could've died, and also someone else could have died. It could have been really bad."
He continued:
"First of all, at a certain age every three years we need to renew your [driving] license... I just realized, at that moment my life flashed before my eyes. It made me realize, I don't care about anything else. Because if that happened, this fight [with du Plessis] is not happening. It's all perspective."
Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below (13:15):
Alex Volkanovski shares exciting preview for Israel Adesanya's return
Israel Adesanya was dethroned by Sean Strickland in unexpected fashion at UFC 293, with 'Tarzan' dominating much of the five-round fight en route to a decision victory.
Adesanya announced after the clash he would be taking a hiatus from fighting, and ahead of his return, his teammate, Alexander Volkanovski, has shared his thoughts on the former middleweight king's comeback.
'The Last Stylebender' will face Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 in a bonafide bad-blood matchup, with the backdrop of du Plessis' comments about Africa's UFC champions adding much intensity to the title fight. Ahead of the bout, Volkanovski said:
"He's lready fired up and on. We're gonna see him coming back, I think he's gonna look incredible. Dricus is a tough guy, great fighter. But I think this Israel that's gonna turn up is gonna be one of those, you know when he comes back and you see a Paul Costa performace."
Watch Alexander Volkanovski preview Israel Adesanya's return below (6:10):