Israel Adesanya recalls helping late UFC legend Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson prepare for title fight back in 2015
Israel Adesanya paid tribute to UFC legend Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, who recently passed away. 'The Last Stylebender' also recalled the time he trained with the former heavyweight title challenger.
Adesanya revealed that he was invited to Johnson's camp to help him train for a fight against Jon Jones back in 2015. The Kiwi also posted pictures and clips of himself training with Johnson.
According to Adesanya, getting invited to Johnson's camp convinced him that he belongs in the upper echelons of the UFC roster. 'The Last Stylebender' wrote on Twitter:
"Rest in Power @Anthony_Rumble 🕊️ In 2015 I had the privilege to be invited to AJ’s camp for his tittle shot. This trip really cemented in my mind that I could hang with the world’s best. Sparring with Anthony was such a rush! Always humble, thank you Rumble!"
Rest in Power @Anthony_Rumble 🕊️
In 2015 I had the privilege to be invited to AJ’s camp for his tittle shot. This trip really cemented in my mind that I could hang with the world’s best. Sparring with Anthony was such a rush! Always humble, thank you Rumble! twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/TcQeHajLvu
While Adesanya was originally flown in to mimic Jon Jones, the fight never materialized. Johnson instead went on to make a title bid against Daniel Cormier and lost via second-round submission.
story time:
before UFC 187, @bokamotoESPN and I flew to Blackzilians for a story on Rumble Johnson. at the time, he was prepping to fight Jon Jones
Henri Hooft flew out this kid (3-0 MMA) from New Zealand to mimick Jon in sparring sessions
that kid was @stylebender https://t.co/IDu3R9lCYV
Israel Adesanya also posted a screenshot of his DM with Anthony Johnson where both fighters share words of support.
Alex Pereira asks Israel Adesanya to stop making excuses for his UFC 281 title loss
Israel Adesanya suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 after dominating the Brazilian for the majority of the bout. 'The Last Stylebender', although still on his feet, was seemingly defenseless when referee Marc Goddard stepped in.
Adesanya protested the stoppage, claiming he was still "lucid" when the referee intervened. However, Pereira doesn't want to hear any excuses from the former champ.
According to 'Poatan', Adesanya should be grateful to the referee for saving him from further damage. Pereira claimed that was about to throw a lethal knee when the fight was called. The Brazilian wrote on Instagram:
“Adesanya, stop making excuses saying the referee stopped the fight early…you have to thank him for saving your life. The way you were with your head down looking at the ground, I only needed one or two more hits to connect a good knee to your face so we wouldn’t know the outcome. As I said at that point in the video, you were a great opponent and I respect you for that. Assume the mistakes along with your team without taking away my merits. You will have one more chance! You’re next!”