"I wanna choke some n***a out" - Israel Adesanya wants to win UFC light heavyweight title, score submission wins before retiring
Israel Adesanya has revealed that he’d like to win the UFC light heavyweight (205-pound) title and secure a few submission victories before retiring from MMA.
Furthermore, ‘The Last Stylebender’ also teased a one-off heavyweight (265-pound) bout. In a video on his ‘FREESTYLEBENDER’ YouTube channel, Adesanya outlined some of the goals he’s yet to accomplish in his career:
“A lot. I mean, taking the 205 [light heavyweight] belt’s one. What else? Maybe a fight at heavyweight. Maybe, like, just for style reasons, just because I can.”
Israel Adesanya was also asked whether he has other things that he practices in the gym and wants to execute in his fights. Adesanya responded by saying:
“Oh yeah, definitely. Get a submission. F**k yeah, I wanna choke some n***a out. So, for me, it’s all part of the – I wanna get a few submissions before I retire. I’m not trying to, but I just wanna make the opportunity present itself. But these boys keep dropping whenever I touch them. So, I’ll just make sure I, yeah, I’ll set it up nicely. I’m on my way. I catch it in the gym. I know what I can do.”
Of Adesanya’s MMA victories, 15 have come via KO/TKO, seven via decision, and none via submission. Adesanya recalled that early in his career, he used to panic and scramble to return to his feet after being taken down.
'The Last Stylebender' noted that he doesn’t panic anymore because he’s now much more experienced, having extensively utilized his wrestling and defensive grappling skills in his MMA fights.
Adesanya emphasized that submitting an opponent in one of his fights would similarly unlock his offensive grappling skills too.
Watch Adesanya's full interview below:
Israel Adesanya on his loss to Jan Blachowicz in their UFC light heavyweight title fight
Israel Adesanya will defend his championship against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2. Presently, 'The Last Stylebender' is undefeated at middleweight. His MMA record stands at 22 victories and 1 defeat. Adesanya's lone loss came against then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in March 2021.
And Still!
Legendary Polish Power got it done for Jan Blachowicz! 🇵🇱
A first UFC defeat for Israel Adesanya at #UFC259. https://t.co/4SzYVkh66j
The Nigeria-born Kiwi moved up in weight to face Blachowicz and lost via unanimous decision. Speaking to ESPN MMA earlier this year, Adesanya acknowledged losing to Blachowicz on the judges’ scorecards. Nevertheless, he claimed he was never in danger against the former light heavyweight:
“He was in danger because I rocked him. He even admitted it and he felt my power but where in that fight was that actually hurt? I never felt in danger once."
Watch Adesanya’s interview in the video below: