Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has advised his close friend Israel Adesanya to take time off and focus on enjoying his fighting career following his third consecutive defeat at UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Speaking on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman suggested that Adesanya should follow the path of Anderson Silva by choosing entertaining matchups rather than rushing back into title contention.

“For Israel, man, honestly he’s at a point in his career to where – remember Anderson Silva got to this place where, ‘I’m going to pick a fun fight. It’s a fun fight, that’s a fight that I think is going to be great, that people want to see that fight,’” Usman said.

“Because Izzy did show that he can still fight, he was sharp.”

The Nigerian-born New Zealander suffered a second-round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov last Saturday at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, marking his fourth defeat in his last five outings.

The loss, which came after a promising first round where Adesanya landed several effective low kicks, saw him drop two places to fourth in the official UFC middleweight rankings, while Imavov climbed to the second spot ahead of Khamzat Chimaev.

The 35-year-old former two-time middleweight champion, who previously defended his title five times, has endured a difficult 12 months, losing his belt to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 before suffering another defeat to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 last August.

“Right now, Izzy, take your time. When you want to come back at the end of the year then take a fight that makes sense,” Usman concluded.

Despite the setback, Adesanya, whose professional record now stands at 24 wins with 16 knockouts and five defeats, displayed his characteristic resilience on social media, writing, “As real as it gets, @ufc. Rolled the dice…snake eyes. I’ll be back, gone to get some milk.”

The bout marked the first time in six years and 12 fights that Adesanya has competed without a UFC championship on the line, with his latest loss potentially reshaping his approach to future matchups as he contemplates his next move in the increasingly competitive middleweight division.