Israel Adesanya's documentary can start important conversation about mental health in men, says teammate and UFC 293 fighter Shane Young
Israel Adesanya is set to defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 this weekend. The card will be stacked with 'The Last Stylebender's City Kickboxing teammates, including featherweight Shane Young.
Speaking at the media day for the event, 'Smokin' discussed the middleweight champion's upcoming documentary, Stylebender, and the impact it can have on men's mental health, stating:
"I watched it in Auckland. We all went there as a gym and watched the New Zealand premiere and I was so surprised by it. Before this, my favorite MMA documentary was 'Notorious' by Conor McGregor, but this is just way more - he's way more vulnerable and way more real and open, like the real Israel that I know."
Young continued:
"Especially at this current time that we're in for, I guess, males in society. I feel like it's so needed and a lot of people can get inspired by it to go forward and move out of a dark place and motivate themselves to do bigger things in the world."
Check out Shane Young's comments on Israel Adesanya's documentary below (starting at the 3:00 mark):
Stylebender debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11 before being released in New Zealand on August 28th. It is scheduled to be released in the United States later this month.
Israel Adesanya questions how jet lag will affect Sean Strickland
Israel Adesanya is set to fight for a UFC title for the 11th time in less than four and a half years when he faces Sean Strickland at UFC 293. 'The Last Stylebender' believes that jet lag could play a factor in his opponent's performance. Speaking with TheMacLife, the middleweight champion stated:
"You know he's actually traveling the world for the first time? It's his first time getting a passport because of me. I've been traveling the world. I've been fighting on jet lag for years. I know how this works. I don't think he understands. 'Fight Island', 8 AM, I had to fight. 3 AM, vroom, you remember, the whole f**king F1's. I'm like, we got to fight in five hours, why are you driving cars at the hotel?"
Adesanya continued:
"So, I'm built for this. I'm used to this. I've been ready for this. He's going to come here, I think the fight is around 2:30, by around 8 AM he'll want to sleep. He won't be able to sleep so he'll - because he'll be up all night thinking about the fight - and then when it comes fight time, I'll help him go to sleep."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on Sean Strickland below (starting at the 4:49 mark):
Strickland last fought outside of the United States in 2018 when he fought in Brazil and Canada. He has previously fought in Germany, The Phillippines, and South Africa, however, UFC 293 will mark his furthest bout from United States soil.