‘Under the Same Lights’- Israel Adesanya Aligns His MSG Moment With Muhammad Ali Weeks Before His Lost 185 Lbs Belt Goes at Stake in UFC 297

Israel Adesnaya is at the lowest point of his illustrious MMA career. The Kiwi is on a hiatus from fighting after his unexpected, humiliating UFC 293 loss to Sean Strickland. This loss, of course, comes at the heels of his UFC 281 loss to arch-rival Alex Pereira (which ‘Izzy’ avenged at UFC 287) and has forced him to take a break to fully recover both mentally and physically.

However, that does not change the fact that ‘Stylebender’ is one of the greatest UFC fighters ever. It was fitting, therefore, to see him look back on the moment that propelled him to stardom on his ‘Year of the Fighter’ episode on the UFC’s official YouTube channel.

Israel Adesanya looks back at Anderson Silva fight

Israel Adesanya is a sublime striker. This is not surprising given that he was inspired by arguably the greatest striker in UFC history: Anderson Silva. Adesanya credited ‘The Spider’ for making him believe he could come to the UFC and dominate, which ‘Izzy’ proceeded to do after joining the promotion in 2018.

But Adesanya’s breakout moment, which made him a household name among UFC fans, was his UFC 234 fight against his idol Anderson Silva. By this time, Silva had declined considerably from the halcyon days of his record 16 consecutive title defenses. And this bout was seen as the changing of the guard.

Looking back at the moment, Adesanya recalled his thoughts as he entered Madison Square Garden to face the Brazilian. ‘Izzy’ remembered thinking of legends like Muhammad Ali, who fought at the iconic venue, and thinking what a pleasure that was for him.

“That was beautiful ‘cuz MSG, Madison Square Garden even when you walk through [it] yourself, you see the pictures of icons that have uh graced those walls, that have danced under those lights and for a guy like Muhammad Ali who’s a legend in life and we dance under the same lights I mean that’s you know that’s a tick [for a] lifetime achievement,” Adesanya said. The 34-year-old seems likely to be part of another iconic moment if speculations around his recent statement are to be believed.

Adesanya may return at UFC 300

Israel Adesanya said in a recent interview that fans would see him in the Octagon soon, combined with his previously expressed desire to fight at UFC 300, which has led to speculation that the Kiwi will fight on the anniversary megacard. No.1 middleweight title contender Khamzat Chimaev has already hinted he might be interested in facing Adesanya.

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At first glance, however, this fight makes no sense for ‘Borz’. Chimaev is next in line for a title shot and would have been booked to fight Sean Strickland at UFC 297 if not for an injury. Why he would want to jeopardize his position with a potential loss against Adesanya is unclear. What do you think? Will we get to see a fight between the two? Let us know in the comments.

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