Israel Adesanya wants to be excused from the UFC White House event because of the Trump administration policies

The UFC is set to host a historic event on the South Lawn of the White House this June in celebration of America’s 250th year as a country. Unfortunately, the event is projected to cost at least $60 million to make a reality.

In another devastating blow, one of the greatest fighters in UFC history is making it clear he wants nothing to do with the event in light of everything that’s going on with the political climate under the current administration, spearheaded by United States President Donald Trump, after previously expressing interest in participating.

One of the promotion’s biggest stars wants absolutely nothing to do with what is being touted as their biggest event ever.

This coming Saturday, Israel Adesanya returns to the Octagon after over a year out of action when he takes on Joe Pyfer in the UFC Seattle main event.

At one point in time, ‘The Last Stylebender’ was widely regarded as one of the biggest stars in the promotion and would’ve been a shoo-in for the upcoming UFC White House event.

However, despite his recent three-fight losing skid, the 36-year-old has explained why he has zero interest in having anything to do with the historic event.

 Adesanya has explained why he is no longer interested in the event at all.

“I was only interested because at the time, the world was different, but now with the way things are, it’s not really something I’m interested in. Yeah, I won’t even go and watch it there, I’ll watch it from the comfort of my own house in New Zealand,” Adesanya told Complex.

Adesanya isn’t the only one who is uninterested in the marquee event, as longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan has called the event a ‘gimmick’.

Meanwhile, Michael Bisping made a bold prediction about Israel Adesanya‘s future and believes UFC Seattle could be his last fight. Adesanya, a former middleweight champion, is set to face Joe Pyfer in the main event.

 Bisping also pointed to Israel Adesanya’s age and believes that it will play a factor in his future. He noted that ‘Stylebender’ had a lengthy career, which includes his time in kickboxing, which could have had a physical toll.

Now 36, Adesanya will need to assess whether age has finally caught up to him. When ascending the rankings and later becoming middleweight champion, ‘Stylebender’ was among the most active fighters in the UFC. However, if he loses to Joe Pyfer, Bisping believes the former middleweight champion will retire.

‘The Count’ explained the harsh reality of MMA. He said that fighters rarely get to exit the sport on their own terms. Although Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre are rare exceptions, many fighters exit after several consecutive losses.

“If ‘Izzy’ loses this one, I think that’ll be the end of his career, Bisping said on his Believe You Me podcast. The reality, [he is 36-years-old]? It comes to everyone, and this sport decides when you retire. The sport retires you, and you don’t retire from the sport. And that could be what we’re seeing.”