Israel Adesanya draws from legendary American bowler Peter Weber's retirement speech to sum up his year
As 2022 comes to a close, Israel Adesanya has seemingly drawn inspiration from Peter Weber's retirement speech and summed up his (Adesanya's) year. Weber is a semi-retired bowler and veteran member of the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association).
The 60-year-old American bowler won 37 titles, 27 standard events and 10 majors in a career that spanned more than four decades. In March 2021, the legendary bowler announced his retirement from full-time competition. Addressing his retirement, Weber stated:
"Hard to believe, this is gonna be my last frame. It doesn't matter, though. It's been a long time coming. And I think I'm doing the right thing. It's been an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Professional Bowlers Association for 41 years. So, this is it. I appreciate all the fans I had. Hate me or love me, you watched. That's all you could do. Thank you."
Watch Weber's retirement announcement in the video below (*video courtesy: @FloBowling Twitter account):
"Hate me or love me, you watched. That's all you could do."
Bowling legend Pete Weber announced his retirement after 41 years on the PBA National Tour
(via @FloBowling)
https://t.co/mDkSTCph5E
On that note, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has now tweeted a video, featuring an image that's believed to be a reference to his being arrested earlier this year.
The MMA great utilized Canadian hip-hop megastar Drake's song "Legend" as the background audio for the video. Additionally, referencing Peter Weber's iconic retirement announcement, Adesanya attached the following statement to the tweet:
"'Hate me or love me you watched. That’s all you could do.' - Pete Weber. I’m grateful for everything in 2022. Now 2023…say less, just watch."
Check out Adesanya's tweet below:
. I’m grateful for everything in 2022. Now 2023…say less, just watch. 
“Hate me or love me you watched.
That’s all you could do.” - Pete Weber 🎳. I’m grateful for everything in 2022. Now 2023…say less, just watch. 😈 https://t.co/BiuQBHOVsk
Israel Adesanya successfully defended the UFC middleweight title twice in 2022. 'Izzy' secured unanimous decision victories over Robert Whittaker in February and Jared Cannonier in July. This was followed by Adesanya's most recent fight — one that saw him lose the title via a fifth-round TKO against longtime rival Alex Pereira in November.
Israel Adesanya is willing to keep fighting Alex Pereira till he beats him
In the sport of kickboxing, Israel Adesanya lost to Alex Pereira via unanimous decision in 2016 and by third-round KO in 2017. Furthermore, as noted, he lost to Pereira in MMA too, via a fifth-round TKO this November. The consensus is that Adesanya could face Pereira in an MMA rematch for the UFC middleweight title in 2023.
Appearing on the Flagrant podcast a few weeks ago, 'The Last Stylebender' vowed to continue fighting the 35-year-old Pereira even into their 60s if need be. The 33-year-old Israel Adesanya asserted that he knew he could defeat 'Poatan.' Adesanya said:
"He [Pereira] said like, 'Oh, I don't think he's gonna want an immediate rematch.' I'm like, 'F** you.' He doesn't know me. I will fight you until I beat you."
Watch Adesanya's assessment at 18:52: