Israel Adesanya Injured! Almost Pulled Out of UFC 281 Fight

By: Alok Nayak Image Credit: UFC

[{"selector":"#anim-c3c7675b-7db6-4211-b043-0e0a71be0e2f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(18.324199190171896%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Israel Adesanya is still one of the biggest stars in the UFC despite losing his middleweight title at UFC 281.

[{"selector":"#anim-58a01e64-44d9-47b0-af1a-d74f1aca46c3 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-17.237784218422583%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b24e6e18-fdae-4576-a585-58609df82185","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a853527c-3c19-4122-a5d2-a7eb8d795be7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-147.27273%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-956b403e-8b98-465e-8279-8734bb3b860e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":900,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1c964965-8269-48e3-b972-38c3590cb219","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c53c095f-023b-40ea-bca9-a6fdfbbd86a0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120.54795%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] He has an opportunity to have a heroic comeback story after his TKO loss to Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 281.

[{"selector":"#anim-7ac11643-7c93-4b4c-a2e0-3e95429cc038 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-16.94807355928942%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a95143fc-0259-4f2e-a27c-bc578fa50f52","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7a22babc-8afa-4f96-a3e1-eafad828c2af","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-119.34426%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a1ba3953-9c8a-46ae-8f53-0026e7830db4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3854bb98-98ac-4dbd-a59c-2ea0e5ad456a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-73.53362%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Israel Adesanya certainly want to focus on his UFC career and getting his middleweight title back next.

[{"selector":"#anim-175f9a2b-00d0-4071-acbf-947f8a84e042","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e778e54c-08c2-4e1b-b7e7-1bd64e3ff441","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 62.42533%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-88938e0e-1d58-43fa-aa7f-8bedd08817ec","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a1d5b3f7-2149-4e5b-b063-9afecf3ae20c [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(9.560451751394035%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] In a recent appearance on Flagrant podcast, Israel Adesanya reveals he had a knee injury leading upto the fight at UFC 281.

[{"selector":"#anim-adcbc894-9c65-4377-8301-16a1de50afaa [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-19.84518015062094%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dc97f343-19e2-40ae-a5d2-a3bb507189db","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ef31109e-13a0-448d-bfe9-df61bbd0f1ba","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-312.59844%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-84bf833d-a106-49ac-8c4f-160df260680a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f47f2e0a-2d45-451e-b089-3a1f67796e05","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-118.95425%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] "Also breaking news, I was gonna pull out of this fight early on. From the last from Cannonier I hurt my PCL and that's the thing that keeps your knee from going backwards"- Izzy stated

[{"selector":"#anim-71d17648-d38f-4577-9851-288b16707415","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-945378c1-68d4-4187-b6fe-055e12d6a2f5","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 65.91996%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d130a5ff-7c42-46db-b84d-4821117e899d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-192ad4f8-77d5-4f68-9598-7366f543360d [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(17.744777871905594%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] For 3 weeks, Israel Adesanya could only do boxing and grappling in his training camp for UFC 281. However, Adesanya was not going to give up.

[{"selector":"#anim-9840f1b9-f929-48b1-a170-ded95632cb4d [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-94f18ff2-0f29-445e-9a0a-8f4f4ca836a9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e85a658e-1c12-43b8-ac65-fea0b1b43d40","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-119.01639%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c5b2f00b-0ec7-4bad-a7e4-7a1acdec0093","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b03f9dda-2308-4acc-9d3c-50d6b2edbd98","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-160.35243%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] The former champion, Israel Adesanya explained that he did not want the fans to say that he is afraid of Alex Pereira.

[{"selector":"#anim-5eb7ab44-83ef-4ec3-9f8c-40b52fc8bd89 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(68.7050780356872%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7b004725-4dea-4fe9-a33d-644a25453a9f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4ef97ec1-b610-4b65-8d32-4896f6165a3e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-122.45614%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-44d2ba04-9036-4d22-80b3-ffa2a675d4a3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dbdeaee6-0e2e-42de-a980-662675a76e4a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-158.95197%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] The Last Stylebender also had a goal to fight three times in 2022, which he most certainly achieved with 3 title defenses.

Israel Adesanya Injured! Almost Pulled Out of UFC 281 Fight

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