Changing of the Guard: Are These Three Legends at the End of Their Career?
The UFC is a brutal organization. In 2019, Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, and Israel Adesanya were holding their respective championships in their division. Now, in 2025, all three are looking to find their way back to a championship. Despite the differences between Usman, Cejudo, and Adesanya, they all seem stuck in the same place. With the sun setting on three legendary careers, where do they go from here?
Kamaru Usman
One of the undisputed greatest Welterweights of all time, Kamaru Usman is the only one out of the legends I listed with a fight booked. Kamaru Usman will take on rising star Joaquin Buckley on June 14th. Usman is currently on a three-fight skid. Two of those three losses came in title fights against Leon Edwards. Kamaru Usman's last fight was a razor-close loss to undefeated phenom Khamzat Chimaev. For Usman, the path to a title shot is relatively clear. If Usman can defeat Buckley, he could wait out for a championship opportunity. Due to his legendary status, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ could be one fight away from a chance to reclaim his Welterweight Championship, even if the division is stacked with challengers.
Henry Cejudo
Perhaps the greatest combat sports athlete of all time, Henry Cejudo’s path to the championship is unclear. Cejudo was recently defeated by Song Yadong via a technical decision after suffering an eye poke. Before the controversial loss to Yadong, Cejudo fell short against Aljamain Sterling and current champion Merab Dvalishvili. Currently ranked number nine in the Bantamweight division, Cejudo has ways to go before he can find himself back into championship contention. In all likelihood, Henry Cejudo will be fighting back in the rankings in his next fight. If he wants to find himself back in a title fight, every fight is a must-win.
Israel Adesanya
Out of Usman, Cejudo, and Adesanya, it is Adesanya’s current state that has left me baffled. It was only two years ago when Adesanya gave us one of the greatest knockouts of all time when he put Alex Pereira out cold. Since that historic win in 2023, Adesanya, like Usman and Cejudo, is on a three-fight losing streak. However, unlike Usman and Cejudo, Adesanya has looked abysmal in each of his last three fights. The competition Adesanya has faced is steep, losing to Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis, and Nassourdine Imavov. Despite the losses, Adesanya remains in the top five of the Middleweight division. With star power unlike most in the UFC, a win against a top contender could elevate ‘The Last Stylebender’ into one last title fight.
Time is not on these legends' side. Kamaru Usman is 37 years old. Henry Cejudo is 38, and Israel Adesanya is 35. If any of these three suffer a loss in their next fights, their championship windows will be shut. The UFC shows time and time again why MMA is a young man’s game. However, that is not to discredit the legends that paved the way for the younger generations. All three men, Usman, Cejudo, and Adesanya are surefire hall of famers no matter what happens next, and that is something they should find pride in.
