
via Getty
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 10: Israel Adesanya of New Zealand is introduced prior to his middleweight bout against Anderson Silva of Brazil during the UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena on February 10, 2019 in the Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

via Getty
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 10: Israel Adesanya of New Zealand is introduced prior to his middleweight bout against Anderson Silva of Brazil during the UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena on February 10, 2019 in the Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Most present-day combat stars drew inspiration from or idolized yesteryear combat stars. The UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was no different, as he praised Muhammad Ali and even compared himself to the legend in a tweet.
Ali, the sports icon, is without a doubt the greatest heavyweight boxer to ever grace the sport. One cannot describe his greatness in words, as he always forged his own path in his activities within the ropes or away from the ring.
There will never be another Ali.
There will never be another me.#Avatar 🍃
🎬: @jeffsainlar pic.twitter.com/Mg1Yvahwxo— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) September 24, 2021
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Recently, ‘The Last Stylebender’ posted a video on his official Twitter account comparing himself to the legend. He wrote, “There will never be another Ali. There will never be another me.”
Adesanya has faced backlash for comparing himself to Ali. Despite that, the 32-year-old remains unperturbed and believes he is following in the footsteps of the greatest.
In his last fight at UFC 263, Adesanya dominated Marvin Vettori to retain his undisputed championship for the third time. Now, after three months away, fans still have no concrete news on his next scheduled bout.
When will Israel Adesanya fight next?
Israel Adesanya, one of the prominent names in the promotion, has only one loss in his professional MMA career. The 21-1 record holder has an amazing 15 knockout wins in his resume.
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‘The Last Stylebender’ has defeated many big names in the middleweight roster. This includes the likes of Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Kelvin Gastelum. However, the current #1 in the middleweight division, Robert Whittaker, might be a suitable opponent for his next fight.
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Both the fighters have crossed paths in the past. At UFC 243, ‘Izzy’ defeated Whittaker via a KO. However, the latter quickly bounced back into the win column after that defeat, winning three fights in a row in his quest for middleweight gold.
This intriguing middleweight title rematch is in talks now. And supposedly, the duo will meet again at UFC 270. However, no official statement for the same has been released yet. When do you think Israel Adesanya will return to the octagon?
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