Adesanya fell short in his recent meeting with current middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, and there had been suggestions that he could walk away from the sport at the age of 35.

However, Pimblett pointed to 32-year-old Max Holloway, the current BMF belt holder and a former featherweight champion.

Speaking to Action Network , he thinks Holloway is a strong example to follow with his resilience.

He said: “I know he could do what Max Holloway couldn’t he? because everyone said that about Max Holloway. When he was beaten for the  3rd time. Everyone thought he might as well retire.

“Max’s beaten everyone who’s been put in front of him. So I'd say fight another few top contenders, and he could end up getting another title shot because that belt could change hands. 

“If [Sean] Strickland beats Du Plessis,  Adesanya's a shoe-in for the title shot because he won the belt off him. I mean, he's an absolute shoe-in for the title. He probably only needs one win against a Khamzat [Chimaev] or a [Robert] Whittaker, someone like that.”

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