The UFC 281 was not all laughs for the former Middleweight champion, Israel ‘The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya. The Nigerian-born New Zealander had to taste defeat at the hand of Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira. But, ‘Izzy’ stayed classy in defeat as well and received huge applause from the audience. Adesanya had his moments in the bout, but he was finally declared unable to battle by the referee in the fifth round of the bout.
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Following his defeat, Adesanya displayed the mentality of a true fighter in his post-fight press conference. Adesanya also took to Instagram and showcased that he was still holding a high spirit.
The fans lauded the Instagram post by Israel Adesanya
‘Izzy’s’ Instagram post showcased him in the same fur coat that he sported in this post-fight interview. He captioned his post, “What a life! And still standing 10 toes deep in my light. Gratitude will always be my attitude, through the good, bad, ugly and the beautiful moments in this wild and crazy life. So thank you for the energy. Bless you xo”.
View this post on Instagram
Alike the applause he received after his fight at Madison Square Garden, the online community also appreciated Adesanya’s fight despite a loss.
Adesanya was appreciated by almost the entire UFC community. A lot of noted fighters and even the UFC’s play-by-play commentator, Jon Anik, went on to appreciate ‘Izzy’. Anik replied, “You’re the f*cking man. All the respect.”
The noted UFC Lightweight fighter, Jalin ‘The Tarantula’ Turner wrote, “Love seeing you in positive spirits my brotha! We’re rocking with you through and through.”
Another famed UFC Lightweight, Bobby Green wrote, “U still the big dogg.” The UFC Bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, also posted a comment with 3 emojis signifying he believed Adesanya to be a true champion. “💯💯💯”
The famed UFC fighter, Marlon Chito Vera, also commented, “Head up champ ! I’m with ya.”
Israel Adesanya’s post also received appreciation from non-fighting celebrities
Noted personalities from other fields also replied to Adesanya’s high-spirited Instagram post. The famous comedian and Joe Rogan’s friend, Bert Kreischer, wrote, “Your the best!” Another noted comedy personality, Carlos Davis, replied, “True champ”.
Adesanya also received comments from the noted South African musician Refiloe Phoolo. He wrote, “I was heart broken but seeing you a great spirits brings me joy. Stay up Champ!! Keep going!! Appreciate everything good!!”. Another just-a-fan wrote, “Honestly man, we still riding on the train with you. The only fight that ever matters is the next one.”
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A lot of MMA fans would finally be happy to get an enthralling bout from their champ. He might have lost this time, but his superb in-octagon skills and endurance definitely deserved the respect he received. Despite his loss, Adesanya can be happy about this after being called a boring fighter by the fans.
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Did you enjoy the fight as well? Or did it break your heart to see ‘The Last Stylebending-champion’ getting defeated?
Watch this Story – Five times Alex Pereira mocked rival Israel Adesanya ahead of UFC 281