Israel Adesanya may be the only UFC fighter that’s not looking to add an extra zero to their paycheck by switching over to boxing.
“The Last Stylebender” is in the twilight of his career, and that’s when a lot of MMA guys start thinking about the bigger paychecks in boxing. Jake Paul is the real red panty night these days. You’ll never earn an easier ten to a hundred mil in combat sports. And Misfits has guys like Darren Till or Andrew Tate (lol) to fight. But in a recent Q&A at the Bangtao Muay Thai
gym in Thailand, Adesanya said he plans to finish out his fighting days with his current promotion.
“‘For me, my career is going to end in the UFC, I believe,” Adesanya said. “But never say never. And I thought about this two months ago, and I always said like, nah. You’d never catch me. This is the ultimate form of fighting, which is mixed martial arts. You are using all your limbs, all your weapons. How can I now, as one of the guys in this game who’s been up there, say, ‘Oh, I’m just gonna go box?'”
“I always said no because I felt like my legacy is already set in stone,” he continued. “But everyone has a number. And I think I got to my number two months ago. I was like, you know what? It’s really high. I don’t think anyone [but] maybe Turki [Alalshikh] can afford it, but nah … I’m just gonna finish my career at the top in the UFC.”
Adesanya has been sitting on the sidelines since a disappointing KO loss to Nassourdine Imavov in February 2025 — his third loss in a row and fourth in five fights. He’s teased a comeback when he’s ready, and even tried to lock up a rematch with Sean Strickland. But Strickland is busy fighting Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez at UFC Houston in February, leaving Izzy without a dance partner.
Will he find someone else to fight in the meantime, or continue enjoying his time off? Whatever he does, he’ll do it in the UFC.
