‘Killer’ Israel Adesanya is feeling passion for fighting again: ‘I missed the beast!’

There’s no clear timeline for when we might see Israel Adesanya back inside the Octagon, but according to “The Last Stylebender,” the urge to fight is growing once again.

Adesanya dropped his Middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 after a listless performance in Sydney, Australia, back in Sept. 2023. Instead of calling for an immediate rematch, Izzy decided it was time to take a break and recharge his batteries. He competed five times in 19 months, which is significant for any UFC fighter let alone a champion.

The time off has already done wonders for “The Last Stylebender,” who sounded excited for his eventual comeback in a recent interview with boxing legend, Teddy Atlas.

“Even in the gym before, we were training and ... I can’t help it, I started shadowboxing,” Adesanya said. “I’m looking in the mirror and I caught myself because I don’t realize I’m in it. Then I start looking in my eyes and I can see my jaw clench, and I’m like, ‘F—, I missed the beast!’ Even just talking to you now, I’m almost perspiring. Not just the heat condition in here, but I’m getting excited about the fight.

“I said I was taking a break, right?” Adesanya continued. “When I said that, people were responding to me as if I was — it’s like, I’m not dying. I’m still here, I’m not retiring. I’m here. I’m just taking a little break. Because look: four fights in the last 14 months as champion. Active. And also, I have some things I need to fix, so I’m like let me just take a break. Me and [Alexander Volkanovski], we’re the two most active champions in UFC history.

“As I was looking in the mirror, it’s crazy, that’s why I love the mirror,” he continued. “It’s a magical portal, man. I could see, ‘I missed the beast!’ and I kept on saying that. F—. I know it’s there. But, I’m like, ‘No, we got to just chill, put it in the stable for now. Just work, and I’ll help my teammates when I get back home and whatnot.’

“It’ll get to the point when I come back,” he concluded. “I can’t wait to unleash it again. But, in the meantime? Patience ... It reassured me, I was like ‘Oh yeah, you’re far from done.’ Just looking in my eyes, I can see that killer.”

The 185-pound landscape may be very different by the time Adesanya returns.

Current roost-ruler, Sean Strickland, faces newly-formed rival, Dricus Du Plessis, at UFC 297 later this month (Sat., Jan. 20, 2024) in Toronto, Canada. Khamzat Chimaev is waiting sickly in the wings after being passed over because of travel-related issues (and injuries). And many of Izzy’s past opponents are hoping to jockey back into title contention while their nemesis is away.

Here’s hoping he “unleashes the beast” back on the 185-pound division sometime in 2024.

UFC 300, perhaps?

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