"I don't feel that" - Israel Adesanya reacts to fans considering him the middleweight GOAT over Anderson Silva
Israel Adesanya believes he's still working towards becoming the middleweight GOAT.
'The Last Stylebender' has racked up 10 consecutive victories at 185 lbs and is three wins away from Anderson Silva's division-record 13-fight win streak. The two squared off at UFC 234, with Adesanya coming out on top via unanimous decision.
During a recent interview with Yahoo Sports, Israel Adesanya opined that GOAT discussions in combat sports are entirely subjective. He also stated that he doesn't consider himself the greatest middleweight and is working towards that goal. Adesanya said:
"For me, it's not really a race... I don't chase those numbers. They chase me because I keep winning... Fighting is an art form. It's an expression and art is very subjective. So some people have him [Anderson Silva] as the middleweight GOAT, some people have me at the moment. But I don't feel like, because I'm still in it, I don't feel that. I feel like I'm working towards that status."
The 32-year-old also reaffirmed his admiration for Anderson Silva, who served as a source of inspiration.
Check out the entire interview:
Michael Bisping maps the path to victory for Israel Adesanya against Robert Whittaker
Israel Adesanya will defend the middleweight crown at UFC 271 in a rematch against Robert Whittaker. After being soundly beaten in their first meeting, 'The Reaper' has made considerable progress and earned a title shot by beating three tough competitors in Darren Till, Jarod Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum. Most analysts expect a far closer contest on this occasion.
During his UFC 271 preview, Michael Bisping suggested that Israel Adesanya doesn't need to make drastic alterations to retain the title. 'The Count' believes that Adesanya simply needs to rely on his natural gifts and finely-tuned striking :
"This man wants to be a worldwide face of mixed martial arts and he kind of is you know. He's insanely popular and a lot of people love the guy... He doesn't need to change anything okay. He just has to do what got him into the dance, what he's so naturally gifted at, what he's so talented at and let's go out there and be a kickboxer. That's how he wins his fights."
Bisping added that Adesanya's approach has been successful, resulting in 15 knockouts:
"He doesn't take people down. He doesn't look for triangles and submissions and things like that. He goes out there and uses hands, punch, knees, elbows and looks to knock people out and he's done that very very well in his professional record of 21-1, 15 knockouts."
Check out Michael Bisping's preview of Adesanya vs. Whittaker: