Israel Adesanya and Marc Goddard discuss two previous stoppages

By Harry Kettle - February 11, 2025

UFC star Israel Adesanya recently ran into referee Marc Goddard and discussed two of the stoppages from his fights by the Birmingham native.

Israel Adesanya, Marc Goddard

As we know, Israel Adesanya was stopped with strikes by Nassourdine Imavov last weekend at UFC Saudi Arabia. He’s been stopped on the feet before in the UFC, by Alex Pereira, in what served as their first meeting in mixed martial arts – and third overall.

RELATED: Alex Pereira extends offer to train with former rival Israel Adesanya: “Let’s make this partnership happen”

In both of those instances, Marc Goddard was the referee. For the Pereira defeat, Adesanya was visibly unhappy with the decision to stop the fight. As fate would have it, Goddard was also in charge for the Imavov fight, which he called to a stop after ‘Stylebender’ had been dropped by his opponent.

Thankfully, these sorts of stories have a way of finding a positive conclusion. After the fight, Adesanya and Goddard ran into one another backstage and discussed the matter.

 

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A post shared by Israel Adesanya (@stylebender)

Israel Adesanya accepts apology from Marc Goddard

Adesanya: “Ignore all that, don’t worry. Nice to see you away from the cage.

Goddard: “I’m f***ing sorry, man.”

Adesanya: “Don’t be. Hey, I’ll tell you one thing. The one in New York, I was like eh, but this was good. You know why? I wasn’t there. I was moving, but it was all instinct.”

Goddard: “I saw mate. Listen man, I say it all the time, I don’t wanna stop any fights. Never.”

Adesanya: “Hey, enough. You’re preaching to the choir. F*** all whatever they say. God bless you.”

What do you make of the two stoppages? Do you believe we will ever see Israel get back into the Octagon again? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Israel Adesanya Marc Goddard UFC