Israel Adesanya gives four-word reaction to influencer toughing out his "gunshot"-like liver punch, fans in awe: "Isn't that how Bruce Lee died?"
Israel Adesanya recently collaborated with social media fitness influencer Sam McCarthy, which consisted of the latter withstanding a liver shot from 'The Last Stylebender.' A clip of the pair's interaction was shared on X and Instagram by Adesanya and McCarthy respectively, stunning fans.
Surprisingly, McCarthy withstood the liver shot, never once folding over and collapsing. Given that Adesanya is a former kickboxer and among MMA's greatest strikers, with deceptive punching power no less, it was a testament to McCarthy's toughness that he kept his composure.
Check out Sam McCarthy surviving Israel Adesanya's body shot:
Even Adesanya expressed astonishment over McCarthy's ability to withstand his liver shot. Furthermore, the ex-UFC middleweight champion struck McCarthy without gloves, blasting his midsection with his bare knuckles. He even confessed to holding nothing back.
Naturally, McCarthy shared the clip on his Instagram page, with his caption highlighting his pity for Adesanya's upcoming UFC Fight Night 250 opponent, Nassourdine Imavov.
Adesanya himself commented on McCarthy's Instagram post.
"Strong man! Solid core"
The fans were also quick to flock to both posts, with Adesanya's tweet, in particular, drawing the more interesting comments. One fan praised McCarthy for his ability to withstand an Adesanya liver shot.
"Wow..that's a solid shot...indeed well done Sam.."
Another fan described the liver shot as a gunshot.
"Yowwwza... He'll be pi**ing blood tonight. That sounded like a gunshot."
This was echoed by other tweets.
"Poor kid going to pi** blood for a week"
Some even referenced the legendary Bruce Lee.
"Isn't that how Bruce Lee died?"
A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:
Adesanya will look to revitalize his career this weekend by beating Imavov. A loss would set him back tremendously. He's 1-3 in his last four fights, with a two-fight losing streak, and on the verge of his first non-PPV assignment since 2018.
It's unfamiliar territory for the middleweight great, who will be hoping that his Fight Night stint will be a short one.
Israel Adesanya has worked with other non-fighters
Israel Adesanya is one of the more sociable fighters on the UFC roster, having worked with non-fighters before, whether it's a body shot challenge or a training session. He famously trained with Meta founder and tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, who has taken a deep interest in combat sports.
The training session also included former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Moreover, body shot challenges featuring professional fighters and social media influencers have risen in popularity, with controversial boxing star Ryan Garcia being well-known for them.