Michael Bisping made a bold prediction about Israel Adesanya‘s future and believes UFC Seattle could be his last fight. Adesanya, a former middleweight champion, is set to face Joe Pyfer in the main event.
Adesanya is at a crossroads in his legendary career. He enters UFC Seattle having lost three straight bouts against Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, and Nassourdine Imavov. Now, he faces Pyfer, who is ranked far below him at No. 14 in the UFC middleweight rankings.
While Adesanya still has a path back to title contention as the No. 4 ranked middleweight, he does need a win. Based on a where both fighters stand in their respective careers, Bisping feels strongly about his prediction.
Michael Bisping Says Age Will Play a Factor in Israel Adesanya’s Decision
Michael Bisping also pointed to Israel Adesanya’s age and believes that it will play a factor in his future. He noted that ‘Stylebender’ had a lengthy career, that includes his time in kickboxing, which could have had a physical toll.
Now 36, Adesanya will need to assess whether age has finally caught up to him. When ascending the rankings and later after becoming middleweight champion, ‘Stylebender’ was among the most active fighters in the UFC. However, if he loses to Joe Pyfer, Bisping believes the former middleweight champion will retire.
‘The Count’ explained the harsh reality of MMA. He said that fighters rarely get to exit the sport on their own terms. Although Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre are rare exceptions, many fighters exit after several consecutive losses.
“If ‘Izzy’ loses this one, I think that’ll be the end of his career, Bisping said on his Believe You Me podcast. The reality, [he is 36-years-old]? It comes to everyone, and this sport decides when you retire. The sport retires you, and you don’t retire from the sport. And that could be what we’re seeing.”
He added:
“There’s no shame in any of these losses. [Nassourdine] Imavov could be the next guy. But when it’s four out of five, then you lose to [No. 14 ranked Pyfer], then it’s five out of six,” he said. “That’s time to walk away.”
Bisping Not Counting Adesanya Out
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 12: Israel Adesanya prepares prior to his middleweight fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
While he predicted that Adesanya will retire should he lose to Pyfer, Bisping is not counting him out.
Bisping believes the former middleweight champion will snap his losing skid and get back on track. During his Believe You Me podcast, ‘The Count’ noted that Adesanya has already thought about life after fighting.
Bisping said that Adesanya has done very well financially, but believes he still has fight left in him in the UFC.
“[Adesanya] has made a lot of money. He smashed it out of the park and defended the belt four or five times,” he said. “He’s talking about going off and becoming a DJ, so he’s already got his next path kind of carved out.”
He added: “I think if he loses [against Pyfer], he retires from the sport. But my official prediction is [Adesanya] by unanimous decision. He will win.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Michael Bisping Makes Bold Call on Israel Adesanya’s UFC Future appeared first on Heavy Sports.