Israel Adesanya lauds fast-rising UFC middleweight's "Goku spirit" ahead of Nassourdine Imavov clash: "I respect that"
Israel Adesanya recently heaped praise on a budding UFC middleweight fighter. 'The Last Stylebender' is poised to face Nassourdine Imavov in the main event at UFC Saudi Arabia at the ANB Arena in Riyadh on Feb. 1.
Although the former UFC middleweight champion has a tough challenge ahead of him in the form of Imavov, he's also watching the rise of the promising contender, Caio Borralho. The Brazilian had previously shown a strong desire to face Adesanya, even stating that talks were underway for a potential matchup at UFC 312. However, the Nigerian-born Kiwi chose to move forward with booking a fight against Imavov instead.
During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Adesanya clarified that he was never offered the chance to face Borralho, but he praised 'The Natural' for showing interest in stepping up and challenging him:
"'Bro, I already told you when it’s you and me, it’ll be for the belt, it’ll be for the throne.' I respect a guy who just wants to be strictly business. It’s like, I understand that. What do I call it? Goku spirit. It’s like, 'Oh, you fight? How good are you? I bet. Let's see.' Yeah, I respect that. But, the Imavov fight came about, and now we’re here."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (5:25):
'The Last Stylebender' is currently enduring the most challenging phase of his career, having suffered back-to-back defeats. This includes losing his middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, followed by a submission loss to reigning champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305.
Navajo Stirling previews Israel Adesanya's upcoming showdown against Nassourdine Imavov
During a recent interview with Home of Fights, Israel Adesanya's fellow City Kickboxing teammate, Navajo Stirling, shared his insights into 'The Last Stylebender's' upcoming showdown with Nassourdine Imavov.
Stirling mentioned that Adesanya has put in significant work and is in excellent physical condition heading into the bout:
"[He's] really intense. He definitely has found a new spark... I knew he was training so much, I was like, 'Surely this guy's got a fight.' And then I saw him get matched up. Yeah, he's looking really sharp from when I last left. He's putting in the work, I'm such a fan of him and so happy to see him fight again. Imavov is good; he's got that young fire as well."
Check out Navajo Stirling's comments below (7:30):