Watch: When Israel Adesanya almost knocked out his trainer while practicing spinning heel kick
Earlier this year, MMA fans were treated to an 'oh my god' moment when Israel Adesanya almost KO'd one of his trainers while practicing a spinning kick.
In footage taken from his training camp as he prepared to face Jared Cannonier at UFC 276, 'The Last Stylebender' was deep in focus while practicing a heel kick with one of his coaches. The coach demonstrated the kick in front of Adesanya, who imitated it but almost caught his coach flush on the back of the head.
Fans can see Adesanya's jaw drop and eyes open as he realizes he was only centimeters from catching his coach clean in the head. The pair then laughed off the incident, with his trainer adding that he was happy that he caught the moment on video.
Watch the heart-in-the-mouth moment here:
The New Zealander went on to defeat Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision. The 33-year-old Adesanya is now preparing for arguably his toughest test yet when he faces longtime rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281 and hopes to defend his title for a sixth time.
Pereira and Adesanya's rivalry dates back to their time as professional kickboxers. 'Poatan' fought and defeated 'Izzy' twice, which included one KO victory. The knockout remains the only time Adesanya has been finished in either his MMA or kickboxing career.
Georges St-Pierre offers words of wisdom to Israel Adesanya
UFC Hall of Famer and former middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre has warned Israel Adesanya that the pressure as champion will continue to grow as he stacks up the title defenses.
Adesanya has held the undisputed middleweight belt since defeating Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in October 2019.
In a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'Izzy' can be seen sitting down with 'Rush' for dinner and discussing their careers in the UFC. 'GSP' is full of praise for Israel Adesanya but offers him some much-needed words of advice:
"Heavy is the crown, my friend, and it's only gonna get heavier for you. I'm honest with you. I like you. I'm telling you the truth. Heavy is the crown. Nobody can understand, but it gets worse, and it adds more weight to your shoulders every fight. Every fight is bigger and bigger, and the criticism is worse, and the expectations are more and more. Keep that fire."
Catch the video on Israel Adesanya's channel here: