UFC 305 went down this past weekend (Sat., Aug. 17, 2024) inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Tai Tuivasa, who suffered his fifth straight loss after coming up short against Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
And Steve Erceg, who was knocked out by Kai Kara-France in the very round in the co-main event of the evening (see it again here). But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Coming into the event, Adesanya was trying to erase the memory of the loss he suffered to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Sept. 2023, losing the title he had just won back from Alex Pereira five months prior. But, since “The Last Stylebender” had dominated the division for so long, he got an instant chance at a title fight coming off a loss.
Adesanya started off the fight great, though he did have to defend a couple of submission attempts and eat a couple of the champion’s well-placed punches. But, once “Izzy” got his groove going he started finding his range and connecting.
In the fourth round, however, Du Plessis started to find his range, too, landing a couple of big shots that had the former champion reeling, eventually allowing him to set up a fight-ending rear-naked choke that prompted a quick tap from “The Last Stylebender.”
It was a tough loss for Adesanya to add to his grueling stretch that has seen him lose two straight (three of four overall … all title fights). After the defeat, he and “Stillknocks” buried the hatchet and Adesanya declared that he would still keep on fighting.
As far as when, that’s a bit of a mystery.
“So yeah, you’ll see me again when you see me again,” he said during UFC 305’s post-fight presser. “I’m not like, ‘Oh, I need to do this. I need to go fight for the belt again. I need to—,’ you know, none of that. I’m just doing me. I just wanna keep getting better. I’m gonna get better at my my grappling … Even my striking, I’m gonna get better at that again. And then when you see me, you’ll see me.
“It’s not gonna be, like, you’ll see me in three months like you normally do,” he continued. “You’ll see me when you see me again. So, until then, enjoy me while I’m here, because you will miss me when I’m gone.”
Adesanya is still just 35 years of age and seemingly has plenty left in the tank. That said, it’s pretty tough to pinpoint exactly who could potentially fight next. He could always wait to see the outcome of the Du Plessis vs. Strickland rematch and potentially face the loser. Or, he could take on the winner of the upcoming bout between Nassourdine Imavov vs. Brendan Allen, but it doesn’t exactly seem like one Adesanya would be dying to partake in.
That’s because Adesanya is so accustomed to taking part in title fights, as was the case with his last 12 fights inside the Octagon. One thing is certain, his next fight won’t be for a belt.
That said, care to offer up a suggestion or three?
For complete UFC 305 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.