"Taking time to let injuries he’s carried for years get better" - Dan Hooker sheds light on Israel Adesanya’s health amid the former champ’s hiatus

Israel Adesanya's unexpected defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September was followed by an even more unexpected announcement from the former champion.

Adesanya stated during an appearance on New Zealand radio station The Rock that he would be taking an extended break from competing in MMA. 'The Last Stylebender' did not explain the reasons for his decision in full, but many felt that he deserved some time off after 11 title fights in only four years.

Israel Adesanya's longtime teammate and friend, Dan Hooker, has now shed light on the health of the former champion.

'The Hangman' appeared to confirm that 'The Last Stylebender' had entered the Sean Strickland fight injured, something that his coach, Eugene Bareman, also mentioned last month.

Hooker was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, during which he was asked about Israel Adesanya's health status. He said this:

"He's all good, he's all good. He's just taking some time to let some injuries he's been carrying for years, kind of get better. He's all good, he's just relaxing, recovering."

Watch the video below from 20:17:

Given his incredible strength of schedule, it would be fair to assume that Adesanya has been dealing with injuries related to fights and training camps.

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Israel Adesanya labeled 'one-dimensional' by Dricus du Plessis

Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis appeared destined to clash at UFC 293 following the South African's KO win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.

After defeating 'The Reaper', Du Plessis and Adesanya shared a headed face-off in the octagon. But two months before UFC 293, the South African withdraw from contention due to injury.

Sean Strickland replaced 'Stillknocks' and stunned the world by dominating 'The Last Stylebender' on the feet for five rounds en route to a unanimous decision win.

Dricus du Plessis recently shared his thoughts on Israel Adesanya's performance at UFC 293 during an interview with Submission Radio. He pointed to the former champion being a 'one-dimensional' fighter as the main reason for his defeat.

He said this:

"[Adesanya] was up against the fence just getting outpointed the whole fight. He didn't try to take the fight down once, because he doesn't have that ability. That's the problem you have with a one-dimensional fighter, who is so good in one area of the game... I think that was a good learning curve for Adesanya."

Watch the video below from 19:05: