This was earlier reported by the Nigerian fighter, expressing his displeasure over the matter.
“Considering the hype surrounding the UFC 300 tournament, our fight with Izzy would have been really huge,” MMAnews quoted the South African as saying. “The offer was official, one hundred percent, but one thing people don’t understand is why would I start training camp injured when I’m already a champion?”
“I’ve taken a lot of risks, but why would I take a risk now? I’m a champion now, and I can fight when I’m ready. I think Isiah still mistakenly thinks he’s a champion even though he’s not.”
Last September, Israel Adesanya suffered a sensational defeat, losing by unanimous decision to Sean Strickland and losing the UFC middleweight championship belt, and this January, Dricus Du Plessis defeated the American by split decision to become the division’s new champion.
As a result, the main event of the UFC 300 tournament, which will be held on April 13 in Las Vegas, was announced as a light heavyweight title fight between the current champion of the division, Alex Pereira, and the former holder of this title, Jamal Hill.