Leon Edwards talks whether an Israel Adesanya super-fight interests him
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards recently shared his thoughts on the possibility of a super-fight against Israel Adesanya, one of the most dominant forces in the UFC.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Edwards was asked about the potential matchup and whether he would be interested in taking on 'Izzy' in the octagon.
'Rocky' acknowledged Israel Adesanya's impressive record and formidable skills, but remained non-committal about the possibility of a super-fight between the two. He emphasized that his focus is on defending his welterweight title and cementing his place at the top of the division, but also denied any plans to fight the middleweight kingpin in the future:
"I'm very impressed, because like a take away the fight from it right it's more just the mental part of it to have someone that not to act twice. Beat you in a different sport, came to your new sport beat you again everyone's saying oh this guy is like your Kryptonite. Just mentally as a fighter that plays a part in it you know so for him (Israel Adesanya) to go out there stay calm cool and collected and go out there and finish it the way you did. Yeah I'm happy for him."
The 170-pound champion further cleared the air on fighting 'The Last Stylebender' in the future:
"No, not really. No probably not like I said I wish him well and what he's doing and that's it."
Check out the Jamaican native's entire remarks below (from 17:31 onwards):
A noteworthy point to consider is that Leon Edwards and Israel Adesanya share the same management company, Paradigm Sports. They have a personal friendship, which may hinder the possibility of a potential super-fight between the two UFC champions.
Sean Strickland taken aback with Israel Adesanya's most recent call-out
Israel Adesanya recently called out a new challenger after recapturing his title, and his words have caught the attention of UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland. In a recent interview, 'Tarzan' praised Adesanya's response to the challenger, Dricus du Plessis, suggesting that the fight would be an easy one for the champion.
Strickland's comments come as no surprise, as he is a well-established figure in the middleweight division and has faced some of the top fighters in the division. His endorsement of Adesanya's approach to the challenge posed by du Plessis is a testament to the champion's reputation and skill as a fighter.
The 32-year-old Californian stated:
"Here's the thing. Dricus had to go and say some stupid sh*t. Well, I don't know, not stupid sh*t about him being the real African and then Izzy was like, 'I'm going to use that to get me a nice, easy fight because this is not UFC, this is the WWE.'... Izzy, smart fu**ing move, man, fighting Dricus.
"Smart fu**ing move picking that man. I don't think Dricus [versus myself] is gonna happen, I think Izzy is gonna get what he wants and he's gonna have a nice, easy win and get a big old fu**ing paycheck beating up a can."
Check out the entire remarks below: