Showmanship is not worth the risk of "screwing up career," says DWCS contender Francis Marshall in light of Israel Adesanya criticism

Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier (left), Francis Marshall (right) [Image courtesy of @francismarshall1 on Instagram]

Dana White's Contender Series hopeful Francis Marshall defends middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after his lackluster performance at UFC 276.

'The Last Stylebender' stunned MMA fans around the world with his walk to the octagon at the pay-per-view earlier this month. The iconic gong from WWE's The Undertaker's entrance song echoed around the T-Mobile Arena as the 32-year-old walked to the octagon dressed as 'The Deadman'.

An entrance that seemed as though it would guarantee a finish, some fans were left disappointed when Adesanya proceeded to grind out a methodical unanimous decision victory over the challenger, Jared Cannonier.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA's Daniel Vreeland, Francis Marshall backed Israel Adesanya's performance and admitted pleasing the crowd isn't worth the risk of the victory:

"You obviously want to win, you don't want to go out there and be boring, that's not what you want. If something happens in the fight, I'm not gonna risk it just to be a little more exciting for the fans and risk losing and screw up my career. I'm more focused on just the win and getting it done."

As a former WWE FAN, this ‘undertaker Entrance’ from Israel Adesanya gave me so much joy. 😍😂 https://t.co/KiWaeXuKQS

Francis Marshall (5-0) is scheduled to face another undefeated featherweight in Connor Matthews (5-0) in the second week of the contender series. It will be the first time either fighter will step into the UFC Apex Arena.

Catch Francis Marshall's interview on the Sportskeeda MMA YouTube channel here:

Michael Bisping defends Israel Adesanya, admits that his approach to figting is "fantastic"

While some have criticized the recent performances of the middleweight champ, UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping has defended Israel Adesanya.

Bisping, a former 185lb champ himself, admitted Adesanya is consistently fighting the best fighters on the planet. The 43-year-old defended 'Izzy's recent performances because it's a safer way of fighting and he likely won't be struggling as a result of fighting later on in his life:

"I see a lot of people talking about Israel Adesanya right now. People are criticizing the guy. I mean, come on, the man is fighting the best people in the world, time after time... Some fighters will take one to land one. But, unfortunately, some of those fighters struggle to put a sentence together as they get older... Izzy has a fantastic approach, he's got a fantastic team around him and I love watching his fights."

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The 32-year-old's victory over Cannonier means he has taken a fight to a decision in 8 of his 12 victories in the UFC. Adesanya has the joint second lowest finish rate of any UFC champion, behind only Carla Ezparza.

'The Last Stylebender' is expected to face longtime rival Alex Pereira later this year in his next outing as the middleweight champion.

Catch Michael Bisping's comments on Israel Adesanya here: