"They just forget" - Israel Adesanya calls himself a "highlight" fighter, dismisses the notion of being unentertaining to watch
Israel Adesanya has earned both widespread laudation and condemnation in his career. The combat sports megastar has now addressed the narrative of his being a boring fighter.
Having extensively competed in kickboxing and MMA, 'The Last Stylebender' has ascended to tremendous heights of superstardom. The former two-time UFC middleweight champion boasts victories over several elite fighters.
That said, in September 2023, 'The Last Stylebender' suffered a one-sided unanimous decision defeat against Sean Strickland, which cost him his UFC middleweight championship. It's considered one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history.
Adesanya subsequently announced that he'd been dealing with injury issues and would take a hiatus. He initially noted that he'd return around 2027. However, as of late, he has indicated that he's willing to make his comeback this year.
During a recent appearance on American comedian Theo Von's This Past Weekend podcast, Adesanya addressed a point of criticism often directed his way by certain sections of the MMA community.
Watch the podcast episode below:
Adesanya's detractors accuse him of adopting an excessively safe fighting style, primarily focused on outpointing opponents rather than attempting to secure an exciting stoppage victory. One of his widely-derided displays came when he bested Yoel Romero via unanimous decision in March 2020, a matchup many labeled as a lustreless affair.
Regardless, Adesanya's supporters consistently assert that he's given fans multiple thrilling performances and finishes. They particularly highlight his incredible performance in his unanimous decision win over Kelvin Gastelum in April 2019 and his second-round TKO finish of Paulo Costa in September 2020.
During his conversation with Theo Von, Adesanya jibed at his critics and implied that people forget how many classic performances he's put forth:
"F**k the belts and all that. It's more about highlights. For me, I'm a highlight guy."
He added:
"I had a lackluster performance against [Yoel] Romero because he didn't wanna engage... I have the most exciting title fight in history and the most boring title fight in history. I do it all. But, after that fight, people were talking sh** like, 'Oh, this and that... He's a boring fighter.' I see it now. They just forget. They forget. And I'm like, 'I gave you so many classics.'"
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below:
Is Israel Adesanya on the brink of a grudge match against a reigning UFC champion?
Speaking to Theo Von, Israel Adesanya made a notable revelation. Akin to the claim recently made by his coach Eugene Bareman, 'The Last Stylebender' indicated that he was willing to return at UFC 300 (April 13, 2024). Adesanya suggested he'd agreed to fight archrival and current UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at the event.
Israel Adesanya claimed that 'Stillknocks' turned down their potential showdown at the landmark UFC 300 event. As of this time, 'The Last Stylebender's' next opponent and exact comeback date haven't been officially announced. Nevertheless, the consensus is that Adesanya's hiatus could end later this year.