RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Israel Adesanya thinks the reaction to his plans for an extended hiatus from MMA was overblown. Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC), a former two-time UFC middleweight champion, announced weeks after his upset loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September that he wouldn’t fight for a “long time” after being one of the most active top fighters in the sport over the past half-decade. Although the decision was understandable given Adesanya’s consistent schedule from his kickboxing career into his MMA run, critics pondered if there was more to it, and whether he would actually step back in the octagon. In Adesanya’s mind, all of that is nonsense
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Israel Adesanya ‘not dead’ and not retiring, but coy on timeline for UFC return – MMA Junkie