Kamaru Usman believes Israel Adesanya still has the technical ability to compete at the highest level, but the former middleweight champion needs to overcome a mental battle to return to winning ways. Adesanya is currently on a four-fight losing streak following his loss to Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle this past Saturday.
Speaking on his Pound-4-Pound podcast, Usman addressed his longtime friend’s recent struggles. The former welterweight champion sees a fighter who still displays brilliance but struggles when facing adversity inside the cage.
“I’m a fan of Israel’s, and as a spectator, as well, I see it from that perspective. But I also see it as a fighter who has been in a situation like this,” Usman said. “And God, it’s difficult, because he still has it. You can see it. He can still twitch you and land and chop you up, to where I think, when you’re in a situation like this, it’s almost impossible not to doubt yourself.”
The Mental Challenge of Losing Streaks
Usman explained how self-doubt creeps in after falling from championship status. He contrasted the mindset of a rising contender with that of a former champion on a losing streak, noting the psychological toll of consecutive defeats.
“When you’re on the way up, and you’re young, you’re just, ‘Next one, next one, next one.’ You’re consistently just going in there and doing it and being victorious. You don’t have time to doubt yourself,” Usman explained. “But when you’ve been to the top, and now you’re rolling back down, you start to doubt yourself while you’re rolling back down. Do I still have it? Can I still do it? Am I still that good? So, you have to find some way to anchor yourself and turn the boat around.”
Usman pointed to specific moments in the Pyfer fight where Adesanya showed his technical prowess. He noted a body kick and knee strike that nearly finished the fight, demonstrating that the skills remain intact despite the results.
Drawing From Personal Experience
Usman’s perspective comes from personal experience with adversity. Like Adesanya, he recorded five title defenses as a UFC champion before losing his belt and dropping three consecutive fights. He rebounded with a victory over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta last year.
“It’s just a few things throughout the course of that fight,” Usman said. “You see the brilliance. You see, when he switched stances and kicked the body, he measured, he measured, found that knee that was an inch off. A little bit more with that knee, fight’s over, Pyfer’s gone. So, he shows that brilliance, it’s still there, but when you start to face resistance, especially a guy as powerful as Pyfer, and he starts to hit you really, really hard, and you take those shots, can you anchor yourself and say, ‘You know what, I still got what it takes. Let me get back to the game plan. Let me use this fight IQ here and let me win.'”
Usman emphasized that only Adesanya can determine whether he can overcome the mental obstacles. The physical skills and fight IQ remain present, but the ability to stay composed under fire will determine his future success.
“But the only person who can answer that is Izzy. Can he still anchor himself? Can he still find that? Because he still has the skills. He’s still sharp. He can still put combinations together,” Usman concluded.
