- Israel Adesanya has confirmed his return to the UFC octagon
- Adesanya, 34, took a break following his loss to Sean Strickland last year.
- But he has announced that he will compete in August.
Israel Adesanya has confirmed his long-awaited return to the UFC, with the former champion set to face his arch-rival in Perth.
Adesanya, 34, announced a hiatus from mixed martial arts following his shock loss to Sean Strickland in Sydney last September, having enjoyed an incredible, if grueling, run of defenses of his middleweight title.
His return to the octagon has long been discussed, with Adesanya heavily linked with the title job at UFC 300, but his fierce rival Dricus du Plessis was unable to commit to the date.
But the South African has apparently recovered from the injuries he suffered in his grueling title win over Strickland, and Adesanya shared a mock image of himself wearing the UFC’s new gold gloves on Instagram.
Only fighters competing in title fights wear gold gloves, and in the lower right corner of the image it reads: ‘UFC 305. Du Plessis vs. Adesanya. 17 of August.’
Israel Adesanya has confirmed his return to the UFC octagon
The Last Stylebender confirmed the news on social media on Monday.
Fans weren’t surprised when Dana White inadvertently leaked the news.
Adesanya captioned the post: ‘Africa’s SUN is the same sun that illuminates our planet.
‘The SUN will set and rise again until you enter it.
‘The SUN, enjoy it while it shines. Darkness falls as she disappears.
The lead-up to the fight between Du Plessis and Adesanya is expected to be tense.
The pair previously traded barbs, with the South African claiming he would be a true African champion, who lives, breathes and trains in Africa, in contrast to Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria before moving to New Zealand.
Monday’s news hasn’t come as a total surprise to UFC fans, after the promotion’s CEO Dana White inadvertently revealed the big secret during a recent video in his office: where he does fights.
Adesanya’s name could be seen on the wall at UFC 305, leading many fans to believe he should return to fight du Plessis.
