There’s a growing list of former fighters who think former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya should retire after suffering his fourth consecutive loss at UFC Seattle last weekend. Former multiple-time title challenger Chael Sonnen has added his name to the list.
“There’s a lot of talk going around right now. Should Adesanya retire? And the answer is very obvious. Yes. Of course,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “But it a fighter’s mind, it’s a lot more complicated.”
“I feel that a timeline is so important. Let me take you back to Adesanya with a childhood dream to get notoriety, to get respect within his community, to win championships if possible, to make some money if possible. He succeeded. He checked all of those boxes,” Sonnen said. “So, now you’re got to ask yourself, why are you fighting?”
Adesanya, 36, isn’t old for the fight game, but he has a lot of miles on the odometer. He began his fighting career in 2010 as a kickboxer and fought 80 times amassing 75 wins and 5 loses. In 2012, “The Last Stylebender” made his mixed martial arts debut. Two years later, he fought six professional boxing bouts winning five of them before transitioning full-time to MMA. His UFC Seattle loss to Joe Pyfer was his 30th MMA fight.
“It’s very hard to stop. It’s a lifestyle. It’s what you do,” said Sonnen. “From Adesanya’s standpoint, he is not going to be remembered for how his last fight went, but he thinks that he will.”
“It’s not how he’s going to be remembered. It’s not. He’s going to be remembered accurately, which is the greatest middleweight I’ve ever seen … That’s how he’s going to be remembered. He’s made enough money. He’s got enough fame. He’s got the accomplishments.”
“If you’re asking, can he still do it? That’s a very different question than should he? That’s a very different question,” continued Sonnen. “Yeah, Izzy should retire, not because he can’t do it, but because he’s already done all of it.”
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