"She's such a pure soul" - Israel Adesanya pays homage to retiring Roxanne Modafferi ahead of UFC 271
Roxanne Modafferi recently revealed that her upcoming bout against surging prospect Casey O'Neill at UFC 271 will be the last of her MMA career.
Israel Adesanya, who'll be defending his middleweight strap against Robert Whittaker at the same event, was recently asked to weigh in on Modafferi's retirement. Adesanya hailed Modafferi as the 'embodiment of a martial artist' and was glad to have made her acquaintance. 'The Last Stylebender' told reporters at the UFC 271 media day:
"Like, Roxanne is 'The Happy Warrior'. She's one of those people, she's just a gem. And I've met her a few times and she was in my locker room. I can't remember, either for New York or for the TUF 27 finale. I'm glad I met her. She's a gem, she's such a pure soul and who doesn't like Roxanne Modaferri? If you don't, f*** you. Honestly, if anyone ever says, 'Oh, I don't like her because...' I'm like 'F*** you, you're an asshole.' Cause she's such a purist of this game. She embodies the meaning of a martial artist."
Watch Israel Adesanya weigh in on Roxanne Modafferi below:
Roxanne Modafferi explains why it is the right time to retire
Considered to be a pioneer of women's MMA, Roxanne Modafferi has amassed a 25-19 record in her long career. Currently on a two-fight skid, 'The Happy Warrior' explained why UFC 271 was the right time to hang up her gloves.
During an interview at the UFC 271 media day, Modafferi acknowledged that the wear and tear of an MMA career had finally begun to tell on her. The 39-year-old believes she may no longer be able to give her 100 percent in upcoming fight camps:
“I feel like in training after a hard sparring session, I ended up getting headaches. I don’t want to go down that path of brain trauma. I think I’ve been lucky to have 49 [44 professional and five exhibition] fights and not have brain trauma. I started wearing headgear, and that problem got better. But it sucks to wear headgear because people grab it and you’re like, ‘I’m getting choked by the headgear with the strap around my neck.’ It’s not as fun anymore as it used to be. I want to give 100 percent to my fight camps. I feel like I might not be able to moving forward. So I feel like now is a good time to change my life.”
Watch Roxanne Modafferi's appearance on her last media day below: