Israel Adesanya Insists Sean Strickland Loss Didn’t ‘Shake’ Him Ahead Of UFC 305 Return: ‘I’ve Been Here Before’ | UFC Betting Sites

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is no stranger to bouncing back from setbacks, and he’s confident of doing so again.

Adesanya is currently coming off the third loss of his Octagon career — a shock decision defeat to Sean Strickland in Sydney last September. The result brought the Nigerian-New Zealander’s sophomore title reign to a quick end and served as the catalyst for a break.

Now, 11 months later, “The Last Stylebender” is back on the hunt.

Adesanya will headline this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in competition for the 185-pound gold, now held by his rival Dricus Du Plessis.

The pair will now do battle inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and many are keen to see how Adesanya performs following such a dominant loss last time out.

Du Plessis, on his part, has suggested the Nigerian-New Zealander already has one foot out the door toward retirement. Some others, meanwhile, have questioned if the recent break will be enough to prevent Adesanya putting in the same lackluster performance that sent him to defeat opposite Strickland.

But when it comes to rebounding from a poor result and showing he’s got plenty left to give at the top of the division, Adesanya has reminded his detractors that UFC 305 is far from his first rodeo…

Adesanya On UFC 305 Comeback: ‘I’m Going To Smoke This Fool’

During a recent interview with Stake, Adesanya looked ahead to his return to action and reflected on his year away from the Octagon.

“The Last Stylebender” acknowledged the importance of his time off and insisted he’s now ready to jump back on the train. And in terms of those doubting his ability to do so successfully, Adesanya vowed to prove them wrong by ‘smoking’ Du Plessis come fight night.

“This is the longest layoff in my whole fighting career. I kind of got forced into taking a break because my body needed it,” Adesanya said. “Not because of the fights, but the training camps. My mind, body and spirit needed it, and I’m glad I got the break I needed and reset myself, reaffirm myself. Let’s go!

“My team is everything you need. I’m a friendly guy and a lot of the people I connect with feel like they’ve known me for years, but my team are the ones who will always be around me because they understand me,” Adesanya continued. “I’ve been here before, I’ve lost before and I know how things change, so for me, the defeat didn’t shake me. You watch this…I’m going to smoke this fool. I’ve been here before, but I’ll play the game a little differently this time.”

Adesanya will look to prove as much by righting that wrong from last September in his return on Australian soil this weekend.

Should he accomplish that feat, “The Last Stylebender” would add another historic achievement to his record by becoming the first-ever three-time middleweight champ in UFC history.

And should he do so in the kind of fashion he’s envisioning, the commentary booth could have another highlight to add to its reel.