In the aftermath of his victory and controversial celebration, Israel Adesanya has faced criticism from fans and fellow UFC stars alike. However, one prominent figure in the MMA world has come to his defense – Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen spoke highly of Adesanya’s actions during a recent episode of The MMA Hour. While many were quick to condemn Adesanya for mocking Alex Pereira’s son in the audience, Sonnen saw it as a masterful display of showmanship and villainy.
“That was beautiful work,” Sonnen said.
“Just, that’s really good stuff right there. I mean, he was owed it. That was good stuff. Not to mention, I think the young man is still a minor. I think he was about six at the time of that kickboxing video. It’s been about [six] years. I think he’s six.”
Sonnen also praised Adesanya for embracing the role of the villain, or “heel,” in his ongoing feud with Pereira.
However fans seem to question how the MMA Hour team is treating the controversy considering Ariel Helwani has been vocal about the fact that his kids and kids of other UFC stars should be out of bounds (along with their families).
And while Helwani was willing to question his stance during the latest edition of MMA Hour, when Adesanya was in the studio about 6 months ago he made some very controversial comments.
Adesanya addressed seeing the video of the kid mocking him:
“They showed it to me. I’ve never seen this video they showed us. We did it multiple times, but I just looked at him and laugh, What am I going to do, stomp his head?”
To which Helwani responded: “I mean, I would have.”
During yesterday’s edition of the MMA Hour, Helwani addressed not condemning Adesanya over the gloating in light of previous statements he made about involving families of MMA stars:
“Maybe it’s just me at fault here. And I don’t if I preached it, I just feel like. I think when when when Connor. When Connor talks about Khabib’s wife, I feel uncomfortable. I feel like it’s completely unnecessary. When he talks about his dad, I think it’s unnecessary as well. When other people talk about religion, like I just think like when when these are false, the family comes up.”