"He'll f**k you up" - Israel Adesanya explains why he paid no attention to Anderson Silva's friendly nature before their fight
Israel Adesanya has opened up about why he didn’t pay attention to Anderson Silva’s friendly nature before their fight. In a video uploaded to the UFC’s official YouTube channel, the middleweight kingpin looked back at some of his most iconic UFC moments.
Adesanya harked back to his fight against the legendary former UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva. It was a three-round bout at UFC 234 in February 2019, in which he beat ‘The Spider’ via unanimous decision. Adesanya stated:
“Anderson the GOAT. Fight week. What do I remember from fight week? First time I met Anderson in person was, I was checking in and he just happened to be on his [Instagram] Live. And I saw him and he comes over like, ‘Hey, guys. Say what’s up?’ And then I remember his voice.... It’s like, he’s not even trying, but the games have started. He lulls you into this false sense of security; even with the voice ‘cause he sounds almost like Michael Jackson. And then you’re just, ‘Oh, my friend. Hey, hey, buddy.’ So, I was very aware from the first meeting – Don’t confuse this guy for your friend. He is a spider. He will f**k you up.”
On this day in 2019 a rising star defeated a legend!
Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva delivered a hell of a bout at #UFC234 and the Last Stylebender marched on ⬆️
https://t.co/fT76vdooFU
Additionally, Adesanya recalled almost landing a well-timed head kick on Silva that most other fighters would’ve been unable to dodge. He alluded to the then-43-year-old Silva being past his athletic peak at the time but still managing to masterfully evade the kick.
Furthermore, ‘The Last Stylebender’ highlighted the ‘Rock Lee’ anime/manga character stance he used to taunt Silva after the kick. Adesanya also remembered urging ‘The Spider’ to keep his hands up during a striking exchange in round three.
Watch Israel Adesanya discuss the Anderson Silva matchup in the video below:
Israel Adesanya claims he’s in Robert Whittaker’s head ahead of UFC 271
Israel Adesanya beat Robert Whittaker via second-round KO in their first fight at UFC 243 in October 2019. Adesanya is set to defend his UFC middleweight title in a rematch against Whittaker at tonight’s UFC 271 event.
Jibing at ‘The Reaper’ during the UFC 271 pre-fight press conference, Adesanya suggested he’s got the mental advantage heading into their rematch.
"After beating them, you're in their head. I was already there anyway but you're already in their head, once you beat them... the way I did it last time, you can't get over that. It takes a lot of work, and I feel like he's done the work. He's admitted what I was telling him... I'm glad he's finally admitted I was right... I still have properties in there rent-free."
Check out the press conference below: