4 Years After Leaving Each Other Bloodied in Iconic Fight, Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum Bury the Hatchet in Special UFC 290 Moment, Fans React

UFC 290 proved to be one of the most exciting pay-per-view events ever. However, what stole the show was Israel Adesanya and his heated altercation with Dricus du Plessis inside the Octagon. Now, another video of ‘The Last Stylebender’ has gone viral, involving him embracing his former opponent, Kelvin Gastelum. Fans have reacted to the video on social media.

Fans were surprised to see Adesanya dropping repeated slurs on Dricus du Plessis, who became the next title contender following his win over former champion, Robert Whittaker. As if that was not enough, fans were surprised even more when he followed that up with a moment with Kelvin Gastelum, with both fighters sharing kind words for each other.

Gastelum and Adesanya competed in one of the best MMA fights ever at UFC 236. It was for the interim title as the Nigerian-born Kiwi fighter grabbed the victory by decision. As they caught up with each other at UFC 290, Adesanya shared some kind and wise words for Gastelum. He said, “I am so proud of you. You know why? Discipline. Maturity. back in the day, I was a bit talented, and I worked hard, bro.” Adesanya added, “The fact that now you know, and you’re like ‘Yeah, let’s get it.’ Do your f***ing thing.”

Kelvin Gastelum seemed happy to hear those words from the 2-time middleweight champion and replied by claiming how much respect he had for ‘The Last Stylebender’. He said, “This is what I respect about you, bro.” Gastelum further added, “When you came to the scene, you knew what you wanted to do. You f***ing went for it. Now, I feel I am in that place.” Let us take a look at what the fans had to say about the kind of exchange.

Fans give their take on Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum embracing each other

The fans mentioned how much respect they had for Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya following their exchange of words. One fan reverted to the time when these two put up one of the greatest MMA fighters ever.

Another fan claims the 2-time middleweight champion remains a fan-favorite because of these moments despite his supposed ‘cringe’ acts.

Furthermore, another Twitter user echoed the same sentiment as most fans and lauded their UFC 236 fight.

Meanwhile, one fan wondered if Israel Adesanya would have been the same person if his career panned out like Gastelum’s.

One fan said:

Some believe that Adesanya might have been intoxicated during UFC 290.

Even if this moment was a heartwarming one, some fans believe that people will have some degree of hate towards it.

READ MORE: “Teach Him an Ancestral Lesson”: After X-Rated Verbal Barrage at UFC 290, Israel Adesanya Goes Off on a Ruthless Tirade as Dricus Du Plessis ‘African’ Drama Spills Over

For many UFC enthusiasts, this was a remarkable instance of admiration between two competitors who gave their all. What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below.

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