Daniel Cormier doesn’t see signals of retirement from Israel Adesanya after his UFC Fight Night 271 loss.
Former longtime middleweight champion Adesanya (24-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) suffered his fourth consecutive defeat on Saturday in a second-round TKO to Joe Pyfer (16-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, raising questions about his fighting future.
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Although Adesanya had moments of success in the cage, he ultimately succumbed to Pyfer’s power and pressure, extending the longest drought of his career. He hasn’t won since April 2023, but was resistant to the idea of hanging up the gloves in his post-fight interview with Cormier.
The UFC Hall of Famer and longtime commentator Cormier is inclined to take Adesanya at his word.
“People were wondering whether or not, if Adesanya didn’t get the job done tonight, if it would be it,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “To me it did not sound like he is almost remotely done with his UFC career. Honestly, the way that he was fighting, I would encourage him to keep going. Because he was fighting really well.
“I will question and I think Izzy will question when he gets back to watching this fight, why he chose the path that he did in Round 2, because he was fighting really well.”
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While Adesanya’s career plummets, the stock of Pyfer rises up at 185 pounds. He struggled early against Adesanya, but once he was given the looks he wants, shows that he can be a force in the weight class.
“The moment Adesanya engaged him in the type of fight he likes, a brawl where you stand in front of your opponent and you throw punches and you go punch-for-punch, he recognized his power is greater than almost everyone in this division,” Cormier said. “He proved that against Adesanya. … Dominick Cruz said, ‘There’s a rocket ship attacked to this guy now.’ I agree with him.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Cormier: Israel Adesanya shouldn’t retire after 4th straight UFC loss
