Israel Adesanya reclaimed his middleweight title at UFC 287. He defeated his arch-rival Alex Pereira with a 4-punch combination that knocked the Brazilian out in the second round of the fight. ‘The Last Stylebender’ received a grand hero’s welcome in his home country of New Zealand after his triumphant UFC outing.
Adesanya has only added to his popularity in the sport of MMA after overcoming the biggest hurdle of his professional career. His recent win also made him the only fighter in UFC history to capture the middleweight title twice. Thus, he even received a grand welcome after coming back home.
Israel Adesanya gets honored in New Zealand
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The people in New Zealand were overjoyed with Adesanya’s epic win at UFC 287 and welcomed the newly crowned champion with great admiration and enthusiasm. They held a ceremony in honor of his emphatic win, where Izzy was escorted by a group of motorcycle riders while he was driving his car.
The highlight of the ceremony came when some local fans performed the traditional Haka dance to shower their respect for ‘The Last Stylebender. Adesanya posted snippets from the welcome ceremony on his social media handles and mentioned how happy he was for the welcome he had received.
Fans react to Adesanya’s grand welcome
Let us take a look at some reactions from the fans on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
“The real prime minister”
“Wow african champion in New Zealand”
“If you hating on Izzy success . You must be having a sh*t time in life”
“Nz got mad love and respect for [Israel Adesanya]”
“Now this is fu#%en gangstah”
“when the pacific meets africa sh*ts unstoppable”
“NZ GOV Ned’s to give him his flowers while he’s here.”
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Some fans commented that the video made Adesanya look like the real Prime Minister of the country. They said that when the people of the Pacific meet an African; they become unstoppable. Some of them even called out Izzy’s haters and showered all their support on the reigning and defending UFC middleweight champion.
Israel Adesanya has already booked his place in the Hall of Fame for the future. However, he still has a lot to offer to the sport of MMA. There have been no official announcements regarding his next opponent. But we will surely find out pretty soon.
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What are your thoughts on Izzy’s grand welcome? Let us know in the comments below.
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