“People Try to Deny Things and Block Them” – Israel Adesanya Says He ‘Cried’ Backstage at UFC 276 and Its Fine to Let Emotions Out

Israel Adesanya is the #2 ranked fighter in pound-for-pound rankings. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has an impressive record that reads 23-1-0. The man is as tough a fighter as you can have, but he recently revealed he too, broke down.

Israel Adesanya last fought against Jared Cannonier, who is currently ranked second in the UFC middleweight rankings. Adesanya won the fight by decision. The victory, however, didn’t really delight the Kiwi-Nigerian fighter. He accepted he couldn’t keep his emotions in check after the performance. Adesanya was disappointed in his performance.

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“I don’t hold on to things — I let myself feel them, you know?” Adesanya said. “People try to deny things and block them. If you fight your emotions, they’ll get you later on. So, I feel it. I cried backstage. Me and Eugene hugged it out, and he told me, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.’ I was like, ‘Just give me a bourbon, I’ll be fine.’ So, I express it, feel it, and I let it go. It’s a good way to release emotions. It relaxes you.”

Israel Adesanya was disappointed in his performance

Fighters put in a lot of preparation and training for every fight. Fans did not like Israel Adesanya’s last performance as much, and they threatened to stop buying pay-per-views for his contests. Adesanya himself must not have been too happy, so coming by the decision. He accepted that he got really emotional and needed a release.

Adesanya added, “Just emotional … it’s a good way to release some emotions,” he later added. “What is it? Cortisol? Is it cortisol, or whatever, releases through tears as well. So, it relaxes you. It’s just a normal human function, I don’t know why we shame it.”

Adesanya heads into an important phase of his career

Israel Adesanya is heading into an important phase of his career. He is about to fight old kick-boxing rival Alex Pereira to defend his middleweight belt. The fight will take place at UFC 281, Madison Square Garden.

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Sports always bring out the rawest of emotions. The story behind an athlete, his mindset, expectations, aspirations and so much more adds to what goes on in an athlete’s head. It’s only natural for athletes to feel overwhelmed when things don’t go their way and when things go exactly as they plan. What’s your take on fighters crying?