"They grow up so fast" - Israel Adesanya had his eyes on his "children" fighting at UFC Paris

Israel Adesanya took a hilarious dig at Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori during their ongoing clash in the co-main event of UFC Paris. Izzy hinted that both Whittaker and Vettori, whom he has previously faced, are his children. As Adesanya's former opponents battled it out, 'The Last Stylebender' wrote:

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"They grow up so fast [Happy tears emoji]"

Israel Adesanya

@stylebender

They grow up so fast 🥹

7786

619

They grow up so fast 🥹

Both Whittaker and Vettori have two losses each against the reigning middleweight champion. Adesanya dethroned Whittaker via second-round TKO in front of 'The Reaper's' home crowd in their first encounter at UFC 243 in 2019. More recently, 'The Last Stylebender' defended his title against the Australian via a unanimous decision at UFC 271 earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Adesanya picked up a split decision win over Vettori in their first encounter in 2018, in the Kiwi's second ever UFC fight. The middleweight king defended his throne against 'The Italian Dream' via a unanimous decision in the rematch at UFC 263 last year.

Whittaker picked up a dominant decision win over Vettori in the co-main event at UFC Paris. Adesanya had correctly predicted that 'The Reaper' would pick up an easy win with his more versatile arsenal.

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Fans react to Israel Adesanya watching "children" Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori

Israel Adesanya's recent dig at Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori has incited a variety of reactions on social media. Some fans agree that 'The Last Stylebender' can legitimately claim to have owned both fighters.

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meg

@megaannnb

@stylebender u own them both

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1

@stylebender u own them both https://t.co/dSKg2992Hp

Leslie

@Smileydevil0142

@stylebender Just like @joerogan just said How good is Izzy to have beaten BOTH these guys.. So true.. geez good fight so far..

4

@stylebender Just like @joerogan just said How good is Izzy to have beaten BOTH these guys.. So true.. geez good fight so far.. 😅

Charlie

@CharlieWRaymond

@stylebender @ufc Funny how you’ve ruined both these man and they still saying they’re the best

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@stylebender @ufc Funny how you’ve ruined both these man and they still saying they’re the best 😂😂

Others, however, discredited Adesanya's wins over Whittaker and Vettori, accusing him of running away. @edmontoncoiler1 wrote:

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"Whitaker beat you in rematch. You turned into usain bolt after u won the belt"

edmontoncoiler222

@edmontoncoiler1

@stylebender Whitaker beat you in rematch. You turned into usain bolt after u won the belt

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@stylebender Whitaker beat you in rematch. You turned into usain bolt after u won the belt

F. Manuel Saavedra

@manusaavedra11

@stylebender @AlexBehunin Whittaker arguably won the second one. Chill

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@stylebender @AlexBehunin Whittaker arguably won the second one. Chill

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@Avid_MMA_Fan

@stylebender You ran from both. Settle down.

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@stylebender You ran from both. Settle down.

Some fans also reminded Adesanya that his upcoming opponent Alex Pereira could lay the same claim on him. 'Poatan' has two kickboxing wins over the UFC middleweight champion, including a 2016 knockout- Adesanya's only one till date. @LilUsi007 wrote:

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"Alex can say the same about u though… lol"

Lil Usi

@LilUsi007

@stylebender Alex can say the same about u though… lol

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@stylebender Alex can say the same about u though… lol

Rayan Oliveira

@RayanOliveir4

@stylebender grandpa is proud

@stylebender grandpa is proud https://t.co/dAEPtEtjWj

🩸𝕻𝖔𝖆𝖙𝖆𝖓 𝕻𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖎𝖗𝖆🩸

@FiggyEnjoyer_

@stylebender Dont worry your dad is coming soon too.

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@stylebender Dont worry your dad is coming soon too. https://t.co/6oWM5gm0zL

wbeard838

@ExpertJames1

@stylebender Your father is coming

707

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@stylebender Your father is coming https://t.co/KDM0hroZGS

Israel Adesanya will look to defend his throne against Pereira in the main-event at UFC 281 on November 12. 'Poatan' has been awarded a shot at UFC gold after only three wins in the promotion and 6-1 overall record.

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