Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling has shared his thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s recent four-fight losing streak.
Last weekend, Israel Adesanya suffered his fourth consecutive defeat in mixed martial arts, losing to Joe Pyfer via technical knockout. This marked his third straight finish loss, prompting questions about a potential retirement from his career.
Israel Adesanya himself stated that he is not currently considering leaving the sport, but obvious concerns remain.
In a recent video, Aljamain Sterling became one of the latest fighters to offer his insights into Israel Adesanya’s current situation.
Aljamain Sterling on Israel Adesanya’s Losing Streak:
“Izzy just keeps winning these fights, and then somehow, he just stops,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “He can still compete. There are definitely a couple of things about Izzy that I think have changed. One of those, in my opinion, the main thing that stands out to me, is his reflexes.
I just don’t think his reaction time is quite the same as it used to be – not as sharp. I don’t want to take anything away from Joe Pyfer. I thought he fought well. He had a tough start but managed to draw Izzy into fighting his style, and once he did that, he was able to get his hands on him, take him down, and finish the fight.
I mean, Pyfer is the bigger, stronger guy. Izzy did a good job of defending. I thought if he kept it at range, which he was doing really well in the first round, he honestly could have done that for five rounds if he had the cardio for it, but for some reason, he decided to switch tactics and stand in close to trade blows.
The range went from being on the outside to very, very close – exactly where Pyfer needed him. He evaded a couple of big shots, but I thought Izzy looked really good in the first round until the second.”