“If I could bet…” Israel Adesanya confidently backs Alexander Volkanovski to finish Islam Makhachev before the final bell

Former UFC champion Israel Adesanya is rooting for colleague Alexander Volkanovski in his rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

“If I could bet…” Israel Adesanya confidently backs Alexander Volkanovski to finish Islam Makhachev before the final bell

Israel Adesanya is backing Alexander Volkanovski in his upcoming rematch against Islam Makhachev ( Image via Instagram )

Israel Adesanya supports Alexander Volkanovski in his upcoming rematch against Islam Makhachev. Volkanovski has moved up to a higher weight class for the second time to confront UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on extremely short notice. This unforeseen bout happened because of Charles Oliveira‘s unfortunate injury, which forced him to withdraw from the fight.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, Alexander Volkanovski had to travel to Abu Dhabi, a region traditionally favoring Makhachev. Nevertheless, Adesanya’s confidence in Volkanovski’s abilities remained unshaken. He predicted that not only will Volkanovski secure a win, but he will also finish Makhachev before the final bell.

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Adesanya revealed that Volkanovski held the upper hand in the first encounter. It is evident that Adesanya’s support for his teammate is strong. “If I could bet,… I know who I’m putting my money on,” Adesanya said. Leading up to this highly anticipated rematch, Volkanovski faced a different kind of challenge. He had to undergo arm surgery, followed by six weeks of recovery. This happened after his impressive TKO victory over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.

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Notably, the victory came on the heels of his narrow unanimous decision loss to Makhachev in their first encounter at UFC 284. On the flip side, Makhachev has remained absent from the Octagon since UFC 284. The upcoming fight will be Islam Makhachev‘s second title defense since he seized the title from Charles Oliveira at UFC 280.

Related: “These guys are absolute studs,” Dana White hails Alexander Volkanovski’s fearless spirit for accepting ‘most anticipated’ rematch with Islam Makhachev on short notice

Israel Adesanya is taking a break from fighting in the UFC

Israel Adesanya has decided to take an extended break from MMA. The decision came after his recent loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. During an appearance on “The Rock” podcast, Adesanya shared his plans for his future in the sport. He admitted that before his title fight against Strickland, he had been acutely aware of being in the latter stages of his career. But he wanted to maximize his time in the octagon.

Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya will go on a hiatus after back to back championship fights ( Image via Imago / X )

However, after a grueling 14 months that included four intense battles, Adesanya realized that not solely the fights took a toll on him. He acknowledged that the rigorous training and injuries, particularly those he carried into his match against Alex Pereira, had become evident. He emphasized that he would not make any excuses and gave full credit to Strickland for performing better on that particular night.

Adesanya has now decided to prioritize self-care and embark on a significant hiatus from the world of fighting. While he clarified that he was not retiring permanently, he expressed his commitment to allowing his body time to heal and adapt to future challenges. Adesanya refrained from providing a specific timeline for his return or naming potential opponents. Still, he firmly believed that this break was the right step for him, especially at 34.

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