By Ghazali Ibrahim
Nigerian born former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya is confronting a pivotal phase in his career after slipping to four consecutive defeats in the UFC, a sharp downturn for a fighter who once dominated the middleweight division.
The Nigerian-born star, widely regarded as one of the sport’s most accomplished strikers, has seen his fortunes decline against a mix of elite champions and rising contenders over the past two years.
Adesanya’s current run began with a sudden loss to Sean Strickland in 2023, where he was beaten by unanimous decision to lose the UFC middleweight title in one of the division’s biggest upsets.
He followed that with a failed title challenge against Dricus du Plessis in 2024, suffering a submission defeat despite a competitive outing.
In 2025, Adesanya was stopped by Nassourdine Imavov in a non-title bout, raising further concerns about his ability to keep pace with evolving competition in the division.
His most recent setback in 2026 came against Joe Pyfer in Seattle, where he was defeated via second-round stoppage.
Despite the losing streak, Adesanya continues to command significant earnings, underlining his global appeal and status as one of the UFC’s biggest draws.
Estimates from recent fights suggest he earned over $2 million in his bout against du Plessis, while his fight with Imavov brought in between $500,000 and $1 million in base pay, excluding bonuses and sponsorship deals.
Across recent appearances, his total earnings per fight are believed to remain in the multimillion-dollar range when pay-per-view shares are included.
The four-fight loss streak marks a stark contrast to Adesanya’s earlier reign, during which he defended the middleweight title multiple times and established himself as one of the UFC’s most dominant champions.
