Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling recently shared his perspective on Israel Adesanya’s concerning four-fight losing streak. Adesanya’s latest defeat came last weekend, a TKO loss to Joe Pyfer, marking his third consecutive finish loss and sparking discussions about his potential retirement.
While Adesanya has stated he isn’t currently considering retirement, concerns about his performance persist. Sterling, in a recent video, offered his analysis of Adesanya’s current struggles.
Aljamain Sterling on Israel Adesanya’s Losing Skid
On his YouTube channel, Sterling remarked on Adesanya’s recent pattern of not securing wins despite his competitive spirit. He identified a key change in Adesanya’s performance: his reflexes. Sterling believes Adesanya’s reaction time is no longer as sharp as it once was.
He acknowledged Joe Pyfer’s strong performance, noting that Pyfer, despite a challenging start, successfully lured Adesanya into a close-range fight, enabling him to secure takedowns and the finish. Sterling observed that Pyfer, being the larger and stronger fighter, capitalized on this.
He praised Adesanya’s initial defense and effective use of range in the first round, suggesting Adesanya could have maintained that strategy for five rounds if his cardio permitted. However, Adesanya “for some reason” opted to engage in close-quarters striking, moving into the exact range Pyfer desired. While Adesanya evaded some significant strikes, Sterling felt his performance was strong in the first round before deteriorating in the second.
