UFC 281: Israel Adesanya talks about meeting LeBron James at Drake's house
Israel Adesanya recently spoke about his experience meeting basketball superstar LeBron James at Drake's house. 'The Last Stylebender' claimed that both athletes shared their love and admiration for each other's mastery of their craft in a brief exchange.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion was in attendance at a Los Angeles Lakers game earlier this year. Adesanya thoroughly enjoyed himself, which was evident from the courtside footage.
Speaking about his chance meeting with the biggest superstar in the NBA in a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Israel Adesanya claimed that he was star-struck by the encounter:
"I didn't even know we were on the basketball court till I looked up. Just seeing everyone around, even Lebron pulled up. We talked for like a minute 20. I wasn't expecting to see him. That one kind of got me like, 'Oh s**t! Did that just happen?"
While Adesanya couldn't quite recollect the exact details from the conversation, the positive exchange is embedded in his memory:
"It's hard to remember because it was all in a moment, but we were just sharing love pretty much for a minute 10. Showing love, appreciation, and admiration for each other's work. I just gave him a dap up and kept it moving."
Watch the interview from the 1:20 mark below:
Israel Adesanya strongly believes that all men should watch his upcoming documentary
Israel Adesanya is working on a documentary that features never seen before footage of his journey being born in Nigeria, relocating to New Zealand, and becoming the UFC world champion.
'The Last Stylebender' thrives to competing on the grand stage under the bright lights of one of the most grueling sports in the world. However, he's not one to shy away from expressing himself candidly, something he believes men worldwide should do more often.
Speaking in the aforementioned interview (watch the interview from the 22 mins mark) about the significance of the documentary, Adesanya said:
"I feel like men need to watch this movie because it just shows that we can tap into our emotions and natural human functions. Even crying, there's cortisols that are released through tears and after I've had like a big cry, I feel much better. Like physiologically, I feel better. A lot of men hold that s**t in. And you tell [the same] to little boys, you see that in the culture."
Israel Adesanya believes that destigmatizing the common notion that "real men don't cry" can help eradicate issues like domestic violence. His upcoming documentary is an attempt to educate people about the importance of expression and promote the need to build emotional vocabulary.
A documentarian named Jeff has been following Adesanya and capturing footage since 2015. The release date is yet to be confirmed by his team.