Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya fights Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Fight Night 271 tomorrow night, and another former 185lb champ Michael Bisping has speculated that the star will retire if he doesn’t emerge victorious.

“If Izzy loses this one, I think that’ll be the end of his career,” Bisping said on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “I think he will choose to say, ‘I clearly haven’t got it anymore because back in the day I would’ve smoked someone like Joe Pyfer.’ The reality is, what is he, (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, or it could just be he had a good run in fighting, a lot of kickboxers and not the most wrestlers. I’m not trying to rip on his career. Then you go against Dricus (Du Plessis), had a bad night against (Sean) Strickland you go up against (Alex) Pereira. There’s no shame in any of these losses. (Nassourdine) Imavov could be the next guy.

“But when it’s four out of five, then you lose to Joe Pyfer, who is (ranked) No. 13, then it’s five out of six. When you’re losing five out of your last six, that’s time to walk away.”