Prior to his UFC Seattle booking versus Joe Pyfer, Israel Adesanya was interested in competing at the UFC White House event, also known as Freedom Fights 250, that’s scheduled for June 14. Instead, the event landed a high-profile main event of Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the unification of Lightweight gold, while longtime Adesanya frenemy Alex Pereira also seeks to capture a third divisional title by knocking off Ciryl Gane in the co-main event.
Fast-forward a couple months, and Adesanya no
longer has any interest in attending the event, not even to see “Poatan” compete. According to Adesanya, the world has changed in that span, and he’s longer interested in being apart of that environment.
“I was only interested because at the time, the world was different. But now, with the way things are, it’s not really something that I’m (interested in),” Adesanya told Complex News (via MMA Junkie). “Yeah, I won’t even go and watch it there. I’ll watch it from the comfort of my own house in New Zealand.”
“Stylebender” could be referring to all sorts of issues here, inside the sport or beyond. There’s a rising wave of fighter resentment as boxers are making millions in Zuffa Boxing, so perhaps that’s what Adesanya is upset by. Alternatively, the UFC White House event is intrinsically tied to President Donald Trump, whose popularity is at an all-time low because of the current US war with Iran.
Either way, don’t expect to see Adesanya in the bleachers.
Adesanya’s bout tomorrow evening may be the last time we see “Stylebender.” The former divisional great has lost three straight fights to top competition, and Pyfer will be swinging for the fences. The stakes couldn’t be much higher for Adesanya, who really has to prove that he still has what it takes to compete at a high level.
