"Diving for the legs like a fu****g beggar" - Israel Adesanya recalls his fight against Derek Brunson at UFC 230
Three years after his encounter with Derek Brunson at UFC 230, middleweight champ Israel Adesanya has discussed the fight on his YouTube channel.
'The Last Stylebender' uploaded a video where he broke down his first-round victory over Brunson that earned him a 'Performance of the Night' bonus.
Adesanya celebrates in style
@Stylebender #UFC230 https://t.co/aQBQlAvSdT
In the video, Adesanya revealed that he almost withdrew himself from the fight due to an injury:
"I almost pulled out of this fight because I had some real problems with my knee. So, I think my dad kind of just gave Eugene [Bareman] some advice and just said like, 'Just take a week and a half off, not doing anything.' And that's really dangerous being so close to the fight. It's an old injury on my knee, nothing MCL, ACL-wise but it was really bad like, I couldn't walk on it. Then... took a week off, just nothing, doing nothing on it. No training at all... it paid off because I didn't have to pull out then," said Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya went on to comment on Brunson attempting a takedown in the fight:
"Everyone would say, 'He hasn't fought a wrestler like Brunson. he hasn't fought a guy with one-punch knockout power like Brunson. He's gonna do this, he's gonna do that. He's gonna get rag-dolled... He's gonna get slammed on his head.' I heard it all before this fight. Look at him, just diving for the legs, like a f*****g beggar."
You can watch the full breakdown video below:
Israel Adesanya and Derek Brunson may cross paths again in the UFC
After his loss to Israel Adesanya, Derek Brunson went on an amazing five-fight win streak in the UFC. In his last appearance, he defeated Darren Till via submission in the third round.
The 37-year-old then went on to call for a rematch with 'The Last Stylebender'.
“Israel Adesanya, boy, I ain’t workin’ all this time for nothing, boy. You next, boy! YOU NEXT!”
@DerekBrunson wants to run it back with the champ 👀 #UFCVegas36 https://t.co/fAv14Gaw3F
Adesanya is expected to fight former champion Robert Whittaker in a rematch for his next title defense. Brunson, meanwhile, will take on Jared Cannonier at UFC 270.
If the North Carolina native and Adesanya win their respective fights, there is a strong chance that we could see a rematch between them in the near future.