UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya organized a push-up contest to give away fight gear to his fans, but it didn’t go as planned.
Adesanya, 34, had just completed a workout session during the UFC 293 open workouts leading up to his title bout against Sean Strickland in Australia on Sunday (September 10).
After the workout, Adesanya invited two fans onto the stage to compete in a push-up contest, with the winner receiving a free pair of his gloves.
However, the competition became confusing as the two participants struggled to understand the rules, despite Adesanya’s repeated explanations.
Frustrated, Adesanya decided to give a glove to each fan, and the awkward situation was captured on video and posted online, drawing reactions from viewers.
One fan commented, “Bruh, that hurt to watch,” while another suggested, “Gotta work on their listening skills.”
Despite the confusion, some fans praised Adesanya for his interaction with his supporters.
Adesanya is set to defend his title for the first time since defeating longtime rival Alex Pereira in April. His opponent, Sean Strickland, has made controversial comments about him in the lead-up to the fight.
The feud between the two has escalated, with Strickland calling Adesanya “spineless” and making derogatory remarks about him. The tension between them is building anticipation for their upcoming bout.
Adesanya is already looking towards his next opponent. Despite the rivalry with Dricus Du Plessis, he would rather face the winner of Costa vs Chimaev.
‘I just made Paulo look easy but trust me, he’s a hard fight,’ Adesanya continued.
‘He’s a hard fight but I made him look easy. But I think I’m rooting for Khamzat more in that fight.’
He finalised by admitting that he could look to face Chimaev before the end of the year and could scout his potential future opponent.
‘Ain’t that funny?’ Adesanya said.
‘I’m the one actually pushing for fights. I’m even trying to have one more this year. We’ll see. Yeah, definitely [might get one more fight this year]. We’ll see.’