"We answered the call" - Israel Adesanya's coach shares major update on former champ's potential octagon return at UFC 300

While there have been rumblings about the return of Israel Adesanya at UFC 300, those rumors have now been legitimized following TheMacLife's recent interview with the former middleweight champion's coach, Eugene Bareman.

Speaking to Oscar Willis about Adesanya potentially facing the newly crowned champion Dricus du Plessis at the historic pay-per-view, Bareman stated that 'The Last Stylebender' was already in camp preparing for the bout:

"I can say that we are ready to fight. Israel is ready to fight. He is in camp, has been in camp, and we answered that call, and we assessed it because Israel is coming off an injury... And we decided as a team that, yeah, let's get into camp... There is a strong possibility that this fight could happen on this date and let's act as if we are fighting on that date. So we are ready to go."

The MMA coach doubled down on the possibility of the Nigerian-born Kiwi returning at the historic pay-per-view, stating:

"This is the biggest event in UFC history. If it means Israel having to push his schedule and double down on his rehab and get better, we're just not willing to be the guy that will disappoint the world and the company if they need us. We are just not going to do that... So we're ready to go brother."

Catch Eugene Bareman's comments below (10:53):

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Dricus du Plessis is not too keen on UFC 300

While Israel Adesanya's coach is counting on his pupil to step up against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 300, the South African champion is not too keen on making such a short turnaround for the highly awaited pay-per-view.

Speaking to Jacaranda FM, 'Stillknocks' said that the longevity of his career is much more important than fighting on the historic card:

"For me right now, we are still busy with some scans, seeing what we can do in terms of after the fight. Some injuries, can we fight soon, is that a possibility? We have to make sure the longevity of my career is also taken into consideration... Right now, we need to be smart and defend this belt when it suits us... Defending my title is much more important to me than being on this milestone event."

Catch Dricus du Plessis' comments about UFC 300 below (27:39):

The 30-year-old added that an actual milestone event for him will be UFC Africa, and he can't wait to defend his title on home soil.