Michael Bisping would have rather former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya called it a career after UFC Fight Night 271.
Adesanya (24-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) suffered his fourth consecutive loss when he was finished by Joe Pyfer (16-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
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Adesanya said he has no intention to retire, but Bisping believes there’s nothing left to prove.
“I wish, in a way, that Israel would have retired on Saturday night,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “And say, ‘You know what? I did it, I achieved my goals, I got here, I was a champion in kickboxing, I came over to mixed martial arts, I was able to beat all these fighters, I was able to stop takedowns, I was able to become champion, a dominant champion, I’ve made money, I’ve built a brand for myself, I’ve opened up the doors for a great post-fight career, thank you for everything.’ And then put the gloves down in the octagon. But he didn’t say that.
“He said he’s coming back again and again and again. And you know what? Fair play to the guy. He is taking damage. That’s a fact. He got knocked out against Imavov, he took some heavy shots against Joe Pyfer, and back in the day, that wouldn’t have happened. Because he’s getting older, and he’s slowing down, but of course sometimes, as fighters, we need protecting from ourselves. I’m not saying I disagree with Israel Adesanya for not retiring. I would have liked to see it because I think he’s given this sport enough.”
Israel Adesanya going the way of Anderson Silva?
Bisping compared Adesanya’s skid to the consensus greatest middleweight of all time, Anderson Silva, who retired from MMA after going 1-8 in his final nine fights, including a decision loss to Adesanya at UFC 234.
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“What is he going to do? Is he going to continue fighting the best guys and losing again and again?” Bisping said. “And I tell you what: When you’ve lost that many, it does take balls to keep getting back in there – to keep chasing that thrill, to keep trying to get that victory, to keep trying to prove to yourself more than anyone else that you’ve still got it. But there are parallels between Israel Adesanya and what happened with Anderson Silva, as well.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst compares Israel Adesanya to Anderson Silva in a bad way
