Israel Adesanya determined to "get back to winning in style," insists numbers on record don't define legacy
Israel Adesanya has alluded that his recent wins have come via decision and suggested that he aims to return to winning in style by finishing opponents like he's known to do.
Speaking to mainevent in a recent interview, Adesanya discussed his legacy, making it clear that statistics don’t matter to him.
Adesanya has four successful UFC middleweight title defenses on his resume. The record for the highest number of UFC middleweight title defenses is held by MMA legend Anderson Silva, who defended the belt 10 times during his reign.
When asked if he’s constantly thinking about his legacy and goals such as breaking Silva’s record, Adesanya stated:
“No. I don’t look at numbers. I don’t really try and chase numbers. I literally just win, just win. But now – I’ve already done this in the past and done this for years – But I wanna get back to winning in style. Yeah. Just winning my way and not just to win, but win emphatically. So yeah, numbers don’t bother. I don’t chase numbers. They chase me.”
Israel Adesanya does the double on The Reaper! 😤
@stylebender defeats Robert Whittaker via unanimous decision to retain his UFC Middleweight Championship! 🏆
#UFC271 https://t.co/nWuVHimOQw
Additionally, upon being asked whether he hopes to be the greatest of all time when he’s done with his career, ‘The Last Stylebender’ said:
“When I started, it was something that I was like, ‘Yeah, I gotta be the greatest of all time.’ But as you mature, you realize that’s subjective. There’s no greatest of all time. It’s who you think is the greatest of all time.”
Adesanya highlighted that there are always going to be detractors who’ll discredit you. 'The Last Stylebender' emphasized that he doesn’t seek anyone’s validation. The 32-year-old vowed that when all is said and done, he’ll have cemented his legacy as the greatest of all time.
Watch Israel Adesanya speak about his desire to win in style and his legacy at the 0:50-minute mark in the video below:
Jiri Prochazka on the Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier UFC 276 fight
Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is scheduled to defend his belt against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2. Adesanya is considered to be one of the most crafty and skilled fighters in MMA today.
Intriguingly, certain sections of the MMA community opine that Cannonier’s otherworldly KO power poses a unique threat to 'The Last Stylebender'.
Regardless, many view the Nigeria-born Kiwi as the favorite to defeat Cannonier. UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka too has echoed similar sentiments.
In an edition of MMA Pros Picks with James Lynch, Prochazka lauded 'The Killa Gorilla' but indicated that he still sees Adesanya winning at UFC 276. Prochazka said:
"Cannonier, he showed a very nice performance, but I think still Adesanya will be better. That's just my angle."
Watch the full video below :