Israel Adesanya has made his position crystal clear: mixed martial arts represents the pinnacle of combat sports, and he has no intention of transitioning to boxing after his UFC career concludes.
During a recent Q&A session at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA in Thailand, the former UFC middleweight champion addressed questions about potentially pursuing boxing opportunities, particularly a matchup with Darren Till. His response was unequivocal and revealing about how he views his legacy.
“For me, my career is going to end in the UFC, I believe,” Adesanya stated. “But never say never. I thought about this two months ago and I always said like, nah, you’ll never catch me. Like I said before, this is the ultimate form of fighting which is mixed martial arts. You are using all your limbs, all your weapons.”
The Last Stylebender explained his philosophical opposition to limiting himself to boxing after establishing himself as one of MMA’s elite star. “How can I now, as one of the guys in this game who’s been up there, say, ‘Oh, I’m just going to go box.’ You know, I always said no, cuz I felt like my legacy is already set in stone.”
However, Adesanya acknowledged that financial realities could potentially change his stance. “But everyone has a number. And I think I got to my number two months ago. I was like, you know what? It’s really high, but I don’t think anyone, maybe Turki [Alalshikh] can afford it.”
Regarding the potential Till matchup specifically, Adesanya was diplomatic but firm. “I think Darren is just doing his thing now outside the UFC. So, I’m just going to finish my career at the top in the UFC.”
He did offer praise for the British fighter’s striking abilities, noting, “I like Darren as a striker. I think he’s a good Muay Thai specialist, and we never really got to see much of it cuz he never really reached the heights he should have.”
Adesanya’s perspective stems from his deep respect for MMA as the most complete form of combat. When discussing his initial motivation to transition from kickboxing to MMA, he explained his reasoning: “You could be the best boxer in the world, the best kickboxer, the best taekwondo guy, whatever, but there’s some nerd in PJs that could probably choke you out without throwing a single punch.”
Despite ruling out boxing, Adesanya remains committed to fighting in the UFC, though he admits his motivations have evolved. “It’s not about belts anymore. Like I got two shiny belts at home. It look good. But I just want to fight. I just want to do things like I did on the way to the belt.”
With approximately three to four years remaining in his career by his own estimation, Adesanya appears content to cement his legacy where he built it, inside the octagon where all aspects of fighting converge.
