‘Real Recognize Real’ Israel Adesanya Calls Jared Cannonier a ‘Soul Brother’

Israel Adesanya will defend his Middleweight belt in a little over a week from now. The Kiwi is set to make his second title defense as the champion of the 185-pound division. “Style Bender” is undefeated in MMA and will face Paulo Costa, someone who has never tasted defeat either. 

Israel made his debut in the UFC in February 2018 and quickly rose to prominence. On his way to the title shot against Robert Whittaker, Adesanya won fights against the likes of Anderson Silva, Derek Brunson, and Kelvin Gastelum 

The Nigerian born champion’s first defense, however, was lackluster. The champ took on arguably one of the most dangerous men in the UFC in Yoel Romero. The fight was not what most fans expected, with both fighters being overly cautious before engaging. This drew a lot of ire from fans and fighters, most notably Paulo Costa.

Costa, who was in attendance that night, said, “Israel Adesanya is the most shameful champion I have ever seen.”

Israel Adesanya on an unlikely comrade and his future fight plans

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Adesanya revealed that he will support Jared Cannonier in his fight with Robert Whittaker.

“I actually DM-ed Jared. I’ve been following him for a while. I DM-ed him and saw that he has been supporting me over the course of my UFC career. I just set him a message, and I was like, ‘Bro thanks so much for the support.’ After each win, he was just showing me love. And I told him you destroy Robert like he’s next, I wanna fight him next. If he destroys Robert or makes a statement, I want him next.” 

Adesanya also added, “I feel that’s a formidable opponent, that’s the dark horse of the division. I’m not looking too far into the future, but I’ve set it up already. I DM-ed him this and he said, ‘I’m on my way!’ So that’s respect, I love that. Real recognize real. And I can feel him like he’s a soul brother. But you know brothers fight. Sometimes lil bro gotta take big bro out.”

If Jared Cannonier and Israel Adesanya collide, who do you think will win?