Israel Adesanya Indicates UFC Return is Looming: 'You Will See Me Soon'

It appears Israel Adesanya’s hiatus will come to an end in the near future.

In a recent interview with iFL TV, the former UFC middleweight champion addressed his next Octagon appearance, indicating that it could be on the horizon.

“Me right now, I’m taking my time,” Adesanya said. “My last few fights, I had four fights in 14 months as a champion in the UFC. That’s unheard of. I was the most active champion, not fighter, champion in the league. So life has forced me to take some time off and I will, but you will see me soon.

“I said 2027 and the retards out there actually thought I meant that, but you’ll see.”

Adesanya is coming off an upset loss to Sean Strickland in a 185-pound title bout at UFC 293 this past September. In the aftermath of that defeat, “The Last Stylebender” suggested that he wouldn’t be back in action "for a long time.”

Adesanya went undefeated in his first 12 UFC middleweight appearances before dropping two of his last three outings against Alex Pereira and Strickland. Strickland is scheduled to defend the middleweight belt against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, so it is unlikely that Adesanya will get an immediate rematch when he does return.