Tag: Israel Adesanya

UFC 253: Israel Adesanya virtual media day interview

Israel Adesanya spoke to the media ahead of UFC 253 event on UFC Fight Island

Israel Adesanya spoke to the media ahead of UFC 253 event on UFC Fight Island

Israel Adesanya commends NBA players for boycott after police shooting of Jacob Blake

Israel Adesanya commends NBA players for taking a stand on racial injustice after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is siding with some of his fellow professional athletes’ decision to halt play in protest of a police shooting in Wisconsin earlier this week.

The UFC middleweight champion said he commends NBA players for boycotting play in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha. In the wake of that shooting, captured on video, the city has erupted in daily and nightly protests. Things continued to take a violent turn earlier this week with the shooting of three people, allegedly by an armed teenager from out of state. Two of the victims have died.

Milwaukee Bucks’ players refused to take the court for their game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Later, players from other teams followed suit, forcing the NBA to postpone all of its Wednesday playoff games. The games are expected to be resumed on Saturday and Thursday’s games have rescheduled for Sunday, according to ESPN.

Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back while he tried to enter the driver’s side of his vehicle. Blake, according to statements from his parents, currently is paralyzed from the waist down.

Adesanya said he is glad to see NBA players take a stand.

“If the NBA walks out, if they (explicit) their money up, that’s the owners’ money and the shareholders and whatever – so good,” Adesnaya said on The Luke Thomas Show. “If that’s what it takes to bring change, then good.”

Adesnaya, one of the UFC’s biggest stars, has publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement. In June,Adesanya addressed a BLM rally outside the U.S. Embassy in his adopted hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, to take a stand against racism and police brutality on Black lives following the killing of George Floyd.

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The 31-year-old fighter said he has yet to watch the viral video of the shooting of Blake.

“I’m finding my own way to change the world around me, but I’m doing that away from the media,” Adesanya said. “I’m trying to respond, not react. But I feel like that’s what they want. They want us to react. They want us to point the finger – blame each other, this side vs. this side. ‘My God is better than your God.’ ‘My race is better than your race.’ ‘My people are better than your people.’

“Like, what the (explicit) is Blue Lives Matter? You choose to be a cop. You don’t choose to be Black. It’s a privilege to be Black. Bottom line, I choose to respond, not to react, so I’m taking my time because it just happened. But good on the players in the NBA for doing so. I commend them for that.”

Adesanya currently is scheduled to defend his 185-pound title against Brazil’s Paulo Costa at UFC 253 on Sept. 26.

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Israel Adesanya: Paulo Costa dumb, but dangerous at UFC 253; Costa fires back

Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa continue to trade barbs ahead of their highly anticipated middleweight title clash.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] continue to trade barbs ahead of their highly anticipated middleweight title clash.

Just over a month away from their Sept. 26 headliner at UFC 253, which is expected to take place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UFC middleweight champion Adesanya and Costa were featured on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” in a heated, but entertaining exchange that had both fighters taking stabs at each other for their fighting styles.

Both men are coming off wins over Yoel Romero in two completely different fights. Costa threw down in a “Fight of the Year” candidate with Romero at UFC 241 in a fight in which both scored knockdowns and continuously traded for 15 minutes.

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Adesanya was involved in a more tactical fight with Romero in which Romero was a lot more tentative to engage. Adesanya outpointed him in a lackluster affair.

But Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who has often made opponents pay with his sharp counter-striking, says while Costa’s reckless approach can be a threat, it’s only going to benefit him.

“He’s dumb,” Adesanya told ESPN. “He’s dumb and he walks forward and he throws shots. That’s what makes it really exciting, and that’s what I’m looking forward to. I’m looking forward to this big, inflated ignoramus, running up on me, trying to throw shots as I keep moving and sticking him.”

Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) made it known he wasn’t a fan of Adesanya’s performance against Romero, accusing the champion of running away from Romero’s explosiveness and being afraid to trade with him.

“I really think he has good skills,” Costa said. “His best skill is running away – avoid the fight. He’s very good at that – very good when he wants to do that. I tried to ask him why he just stood when he faced Romero. The only thing more disturbing than his hair was his fight against Romero.”

Adesanya continued to shut down Costa’s claims by flashing both his “Fight of the Year” trophy, which he was awarded for his war against Kelvin Gastelum in April 2019, as well as his “Fighter of the Year” trophy, which he claimed for a remarkable 2019 that he capped by winning the middleweight title.

Adesanya said there is no comparison when stacking up each fighter’s resume and that Costa may refer to him a “skinny clown,” but he’ll find out how strong he is on the night.

“The only people he ever beat that are worthy of anything as two guys that are ranked, that was Uriah Hall and Romero,” Adesanya said. “Who else has he beat that’s ranked? Who else has he beat? I can list you four guys that I have, so you have to understand there’s levels to this.

“Like I said, he’s dumb. But that’s what makes him dangerous, as well, because he’s not scared to walk forward and just throw, and he’s strong. But the same thing happens when they step in the cage with me. When they see me, they feel me. They say, ‘Oh my God – he’s a lot stronger than I thought. Oh my God – he’s a lot bigger than I thought.'”

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Israel Adesanya: Paulo Costa title fight will be everything Yoel Romero should’ve been

Israel Adesanya believes his UFC 253 title fight with Paulo Costa is going to deliver in a big way. At least on his end.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] believes his UFC 253 title fight with [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] is going to deliver in a big way. At least on his end.

UFC president Dana White has touted Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vs. Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) as his prediction for 2020 “Fight of the Year” ahead of the middleweight championship showdown on Sept. 26, which does not have an announced location but airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Adesanya doesn’t necessarily agree with that assessment, though. If the situation comes where he has to dig deep for another all-time battle, like he did against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 in April 2019, he said he would be prepared to do so. However, he plans to produce something else memorable, and that’s one-sided wipeout of the undefeated challenger.

“I think a performance of the year, shut-out of the year, shut down of the year maybe,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie during Tuesday’s UFC 253 virtual media day. “‘Fight of the Year?’ I’ve already had that in my back pocket, but if it happens again – I don’t think it’s going to happen just because of the situation. You have to be smart enough to put it together. This guy gasses after the first round. We have five rounds. Look at me in all my fights in the fifth, the fourth round, the third round, the later rounds – I’m always fresh. So yeah, precision is going to be the key to this fight. Precision, skill and just taking him out one by one.”

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The matchup between Adesanya and Costa is a special one. It will represent just the second time in UFC history two undefeated male athletes have met for a title, with the other taking place over a decade ago with Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida at UFC 98. There been hype around the matchup for some time, and now that it’s official, expectations are growing even larger.

The feeling of anticipation was similar going into Adesanya previous fight against Yoel Romero at UFC 248. He won a decision to keep the gold, but it received heaps of criticism for the lack of action. Adesanya has gained perspective from that bout, he said, and he believes this contest will deliver everything that the Romero fight should’ve.

“This is perfect,” Adesanya said. “What I was expecting from my last fight is going to happen this fight. In my story, you just can’t have it going good and going great in the story. You need a dip in the valley when things go to (expletive). After the last fight, the performance that Yoel Romero brought, he was lackluster. I’ve never been in a boring fight in my life. I had all this criticism, justly or unjustly. That was a dip and now this is the rise back. What better antagonist than this guy, who was undefeated, a KO artist, he looks the way he does, ballooned up. It’s like David and Goliath. I (expletive) this guy up and it’s just spectacular. As they say: Someone’s 0 has got to go. It’s a beautifully set up story. You couldn’t write this (expletive). You could, but it’s real.”

There’s been plenty of harsh words exchanged between Adesanya and Costa that have provided an additional layer of tension to the bout. Costa recently told MMA Junkie that he has no intention of making peace with his rival after he wins by knockout. By all appearances, Adesanya feels the same way.

“You can get closure,” Adesanya said. “You know when you break up with someone and you have closure? You don’t need to find closure with anyone. Closure comes within yourself. After I knock him I’m just going to carry on with my day.

“Imagine if I have pink hair and I whoop this mother(expletive) ass? I might be another color by the time the fight comes around. But right now I’m (expletive) with this. It’s beautiful. It’s like candy floss.”

Israel Adesanya open to following Jon Jones to heavyweight after he vacated UFC title

Israel Adesanya thinks it’s about time Jon Jones committed to a move up to the heavyweight division.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] thinks it’s about time [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] committed to a move up to the heavyweight division.

Jones (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) announced on Monday he’d reached an agreement with the UFC brass that would see him vacate his light heavyweight belt. He said negotiations are underway to see a long-anticipated move up to the heavyweight class. but does not have a debut booked.

“Bones” going up to heavyweight has been something he’s talked about for years. It’s never fully panned out, but it appears the time could finally be here to make the jump. One of the fights he could be leaving behind at 205 pounds, though, is against the middleweight champ Adesanya, who has expressed the desire to move up and fight Jones when the timing is right.

Jones tried multiple times to put the pressure on Adesanya to come up a weight class, but “The Last Stylebender” said he’d only do it on his terms. If that means Jones is no longer there, then so be it.

“Look how long it took him to move up to heavyweight,” Adesanya told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Tuesday’s UFC 253 media call. “Finally. He was expecting me to do it straight away but I hadn’t defended my belt yet. I’ve defended my belt twice now, I’m going to defend it a few more times and then do what I set out to do. But yeah, the pot calling the kettle black on his part. Go put some (expletive) muscle on your chopstick legs and go (expletive) fight Francis Ngannou and watch him break you. I hope he doesn’t, though. Maybe he does. Who knows.”

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Despite Jones’ move, Adesanya said he’s not taking the matchup off the table. Adesanya has said in the past that fighting at heavyweight is part of his own career path, so it’s possible that’s where he could eventually cross path with Jones.

“100 percent – it doesn’t change my plans,” Adesanya said. “My plan is still going forward as planned. So yeah, same thing.”

First and foremost, though, Adesanya has the task of defending his 185-pound title against Paulo Costa. The pair meet in the main event of UFC 253, which takes place Sept. 26 at an unannounced location. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Dana White: Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa at UFC 253 will be ‘Fight of the Year’

Dana White thinks the UFC 253 headliner between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa will be 2020’s best fight.

LAS VEGAS – Dana White thinks the UFC 253 headliner will be 2020’s best fight.

UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will defend his title against [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) on Sept. 26 in an event that is expected to take place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

In a battle between two undefeated rising stars, White is looking forward to the stylistic clash that he’s confident will deliver.

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“I don’t know what you guys think, but I predict that’s ‘Fight of the Year,'” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after UFC 252 on Saturday. “I think stylistically, it’s the perfect fight. If you look at the way Costa fights, he puts pressure on you, he stays in your face the whole time. Adesanya likes to stay on the outside and pick you apart.

“I think that fight is going to be an absolute war. Just stylistically, it matches up really, really well, and both guys are animals. Both guys want this fight really bad, and I think it’s going to be ‘Fight of the Year.'”

Bad blood has been brewing between the two middleweights, with Costa going as far as saying he won’t shake Adesanya’s hand at the end of the fight. Both men are coming off wins over Yoel Romero.

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EA Sports’ UFC 4 reveals top 50 fighters

EA Sports unveils the top 50-ranked fighters in the UFC 4 video game, with Amanda Nunes claiming the top spot.

EA Sports has unveiled the Top 50 fighters in the UFC 4 video game.

UFC 4 uses a star-grading system, in which each fighter is rated by their overall skills and is ranked on a scale of 1-5.

UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] sits at No. 1 in the rankings with a rating of five stars. Joining her with a perfect rating is UFC light heavyweight champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (No. 2), UFC lightweight champ [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (No. 3) and UFC flyweight champ [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (No. 4).

Also included in the top 10 with a rating of 4.5, is former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champ [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (No. 5), UFC middleweight champ and cover athlete [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (No. 6), UFC strawweight champ [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (No. 7), UFC heavyweight champ [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (No. 8), former UFC dual-champ and Hall of Famer [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] (No. 9) and UFC welterweight champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (No. 10).

[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], who joins Adesanya as cover athletes, is rated at 4.5 stars and No. 14 overall. Former UFC dual-champ [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is also rated at 4.5 stars and sits at No. 20.

The remainder of the top 50 can be found below, which includes newly crowned flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo and former champions Tyron Woodley and Robert Whittaker.

No. 31-No. 40 includes contenders Aljamain Sterling, Curtis Blaydes and Colby Covington among others.

Finally, No. 41- No. 50 includes the likes of middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa, Dustin Poirier and former bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Darren Till responds to Israel Adesanya after Robert Whittaker loss: He’s ‘probably an easier fight’

Darren Till didn’t mean any disrespect and appreciated Israel Adesanya’s kind words after his loss at UFC on ESPN 14.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] appreciated [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s kind words after his loss at UFC on ESPN 14 and said he looks forward to fighting the champion in the future.

Till lost a unanimous decision to Robert Whittaker in Saturday’s main event, which took place at Flash Forum on Yas Island. A win could’ve propelled Till into a title fight against the winner of the UFC 253 bout between Adesanya and challenger Paulo Costa, but the opportunity slipped through his fingers.

Despite the fight not going Till’s way, Adesanya showered him with praise post-fight. Adesanya called his “beautiful” and said he was eager to fight Till, and believed the Brit would bounce back.

Till was informed of those comments during the post-fight news conference, and it only appeared to motivate him to get that fight.

“I’m going to have to lay off him for a while,” Till told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “All I do is scream at him in Instagram messages. I’ve got a lot of respect for Israel. I think he’s a great fight. But you know what, this is no disrespect for him, but I think he’s probably an easier fight for me than Rob because we’d probably have a great striking battle.

“Rob’s a bit different because he mixes it up. Israel’s the champ, he’s a great MMA fighter, but he’s a pure striker. I think we’d have a great fight. Rob mixed it up a little bit. He’s wild. … (Adesanya and I are) going to fight. I’ll come back, I’ll knock someone out, and we’ll fight.”

Till said that his knee blew out in the second round against Whittaker, and he’s likely headed for surgery. That will mean some time off for “The Gorilla,” but he said he’s feeling good emotionally after the bout and is looking to come back stronger.

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