UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has affirmed his commitment to maintaining his distinct persona. He said this as he prepares for his upcoming world title defense against his long-standing adversary, Sean Strickland.
The forthcoming showdown is set to take place at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena next month, marking the culmination of a prolonged feud that ignited when the two shared the stage at UFC 276. The tension between Adesanya and Strickland reached a boiling point during a heated press conference leading up to UFC 276, where Strickland called Adesanya “gay.”
But Adesanya stands resolute in his conviction that he will triumph over Strickland, regardless of his unconventional attributes. Within the realm of MMA, Adesanya’s interest in both fashion and anime has drawn attention and jest from his opponent.
In a candid interview, Adesanya dismissed Strickland’s taunts and asserted: “He’s an idiot. I’m not going to lose to an idiot. He says he’s not going to lose to a guy that jerks off to cartoons or paints his nails. Well, I’m going to paint my nails for that fight and I’m going to knock him out with my painted nails. I don’t listen to people… I only listen to me and my team.”
He continued: “And this guy, he’s already pissed me off with his energy. The way he comes across and the way he tries to antagonise me. I don’t like the way he conducts himself. Even his sparring footage will pop up in my feed sometimes and I’m just like what the f***? Who does that? He’s a gym hero. He’s just an idiot and he’s not the kind of person I associate myself with and also he’s Fugazi.”
Adesanya predicts a difference between Strickland’s onstage and backstage personas, suggesting that the showmanship dissipates when the crowd disperses. He narrates, “The way he is normally backstage is not the same way when the crowd’s there. When the crowd’s there, he puts on the clown persona and tries to entertain people, which they love and it’s cool, but he’s not the same.”
Undeterred by the theatrics, Adesanya is determined to execute his vision of victory. With confidence, he stated: “If you want to have this energy at the press conference, you could have had this energy backstage when I smacked you on the a**. He’s a fake guy. I’m going to paint my nails and knock him out. That vision right there gets me up.”
“That’s what motivates me because I’ve had that vision of having my nails painted, knocking him out and just showing my nails to the camera like ‘look, with my frosted tips, I knocked his b**** a*s out’. That vision right there, to make that vision come true, I’ve done everything in my power make sure I knock this guy out.”