Former two-time middleweight kingpin, Israel Adesanya insists he is now obsessed with landing the divisional crown for a third time ahead of his return at UFC Saudi Arabia against the surging, Nassourdine Imavov — instead claiming the championship gold “chases” him.
Adesanya, the current number two ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since last August, most recently headlining UFC 305 in a title grudge match with the incumbent, Dricus du Plessis.
And suffering a fourth round face crank submission loss to the South African star, Adesanya had previously dropped his championship in a one-sided unanimous decision defeat against another former champion, Sean Strickland.
Israel Adesanya insists he will not chase title fight with win at UFC Saudi Arabia
Slated to return this weekend in Riyadh, Adesanya will take on the streaking Russian contender, Imavov in a high-stakes — potential title eliminator, however, claimed he has no reservations about the potential championship implications the pairing carries.
“Same as I’ve always had, I never really chased the belt,” Israel Adesanya said during an interview with MMA Fighting this week. “I always knew it would come around. I knew what I was going to do in the game. I knew it was going to come around.
“Again now, I just plan on keep winning and it will circle back,” Israel Adesanya explained. “I’m not chasing the belt. But the belt chases me. When I was coming up, I had guys who were at the top that I had to fight to get my chance. They gave me my shot. Now I’m at this point in my career to give him a chance. He gets to fight Israel Adesanya, and it’s the biggest fight of his life.
