Israel Adesanya signs UFC deal, vows to end losing streak
Winless since knocking out Alex Pereira in 2023, the former champion says he has his drive back and promises “blood in the sand”
Israel Adesanya, the former UFC middleweight champion, says he has already signed the contract for his next fight. He revealed it on the Precision Podcast, in comments that made the rounds on Wednesday, Oct. 28. At 37, the Nigerian-born New Zealander is riding a four-fight losing streak and did not name his opponent.
What Adesanya said about his return
“We just signed the contract yesterday,” he said. Asked about the opponent and the location, he kept it vague: “All I’m going to say is there’s going to be blood in the sand.”
That line fits what U.S. outlets have been reporting. According to those reports, Adesanya is expected to headline a UFC card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in early December against Russia’s Shara Magomedov. The UFC has not confirmed the bout, and the reported dates vary.
Adesanya also spoke about his rough stretch. “I’ve missed this sh*t,” he said. “The last three years have just not been fun. I’ve been lost, so I’m found again.” He added: “It’s easy to talk because I’ve lost my last four, but it’s all good.”
On the same show, hosted by Demetrious Johnson, Adesanya had already pushed back on Alex Pereira’s plan to return to light heavyweight if he loses to Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335.
Four straight losses since beating Alex Pereira
Adesanya’s last win came against the Brazilian. In April 2023, at UFC 287 in Miami, he knocked Pereira out in the second round to win back the middleweight title, five months after losing it to Pereira at UFC 281 in New York.
Things turned after that. In September 2023, he lost the belt to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision at UFC 293 in Sydney. In August 2024, he challenged Dricus du Plessis for the title at UFC 305 in Perth and was submitted in the fourth round.
In February 2025, in Riyadh, he was stopped by Nassourdine Imavov 30 seconds into the second round. The most recent loss came in March in the UFC Seattle main event, where Joe Pyfer took him down, mounted him and landed strikes until referee Herb Dean stepped in at 4:18 of the second round.
Adesanya is now 24-6 in MMA and 13-6 in the UFC.
Adesanya’s Jiu-Jitsu and the losses on the mat
Two of the four losses were decided on the ground. Pyfer finished from mount, and Du Plessis ended their fight with a submission. Adesanya is a Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, promoted by André Galvão in December 2020, but he has never won a fight by submission: of his 24 wins, 16 came by knockout and eight by decision.
His old rival took a similar path. Pereira also came to MMA from striking, and VF Comunica has covered Pereira’s Jiu-Jitsu rank and his record on the ground.
The split from City Kickboxing
The next fight is also set to be Adesanya’s first in the UFC without City Kickboxing, the Auckland gym where he trained for about 16 years under head coach Eugene Bareman. He announced the split in July in a video on his YouTube channel.
At the time, he called the move “bittersweet, but it’s the right thing for me,” saying he needed focused, individual training. He has not said publicly where or with whom he will prepare.
The gym he left is in the spotlight this week. Australia’s Tom Nolan, who faces Renato Moicano on Saturday, Oct. 31, in the UFC Vegas 123 main event in Las Vegas, moved to Auckland for good to train with Bareman. He told Sherdog it was “the best camp I’ve ever had by a mile.”
Do you think Adesanya, at 37 and without City Kickboxing, can snap his losing streak? Let us know in the comments.
Read more:
- Alex Pereira expects Pavlovich to wrestle, Adesanya objects
- Is Poatan a Jiu-Jitsu black belt? Alex Pereira’s promotion and his record on the ground
- Renato Moicano vs. Tom Nolan headlines UFC Vegas 123
