Israel Adesanya News
Israel Adesanya credits Dana White for making UFC 249 happen
Natasha Hooper - April 8, 2020
Israel Adesanya has given props to UFC president Dana White for pushing forward with fights despite the coronavirus pandemic. The middleweight champion joined Ariel Helwani this week to discuss the updated UFC 249 card. The event is scheduled to take place on April 18, but has undergone major changes in the wake of COVID-19. Khabib Nurmagomedov is out of the main event and has been replaced by Justin Gaethje. He will fight Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title and a new fight card has been announced. According to The New York Times, the event has also been moved to Tribal Land in California.
Israel Adesanya shares thoughts on Jon Jones' arrest: "It sucks to be him"
Tom Taylor - April 8, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has made no secret of his disdain for UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones. Given the pair’s animosity toward one another, it should come as no surprise that Adesanya has some thoughts on Jones’ recent DWI arrest. Adesanya’s first reactions to Jones’ arrest came in the form of a few memes, but he claims to have measured his public response to the story because he didn’t want to violate his “code.”
Israel Adesanya takes aim at Jon Jones following recent arrest
Chris Taylor - March 28, 2020
Israel Adesanya is the latest individual to take a shot at Jon Jones following the UFC light heavyweight champions most recent arrest. ‘Bones’ was arrested earlier Thursday morning in Albuquerque and now faces four misdemeanors including aggravated DWI, negligent use of a firearm, possession of an open container and failure to provide proof of insurance.
Darren Till explains why he is the perfect match for Israel Adesanya
Natasha Hooper - March 27, 2020
Darren Till recently explained why he will be the perfect challenge for middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. The British UFC fighter joined the middleweight ranks in 2019 after two devastating defeats in the welterweight division. In his 185-pound debut, “The Gorilla” claimed a split decision victory after a hard-fought battle against Kelvin Gastelum.
Gegard Mousasi believes Israel Adesanya 'would be a good fight' for him
Cole Shelton - March 19, 2020
Gegard Mousasi believes he would have success against Israel Adesanya if they were to fight. Mousasi, who is the former Bellator middleweight champion, says he has sparred with people who fought Adesanya in Glory Kickboxing, which is why he thinks he’d have success.
Darren Till says he and Israel Adesanya 'speak every day'
Tom Taylor - March 16, 2020
Darren Till says he and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya “speak every day” — despite the fact they could end up colliding in the Octagon in the near future. Speaking on MMAFighting.com’s Eurobash podcast recently, Till was asked if he had heard Adesanya call him a “p**sy” for jesting that he is afraid to fight Yoel Romero.
Chael Sonnen: Adesanya vs. Romero outrage due to MMA fans being 'spoiled beyond belief'
Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020
MMA fans were pretty disappointed by the UFC 248 main event, which pitted middleweight champ Israel Adesanya against challenger Yoel Romero. Former fighter and MMA analyst Chael Sonnen believes that’s because, as fans, we’re accustomed to amazing fights. Or as he puts it, “spoiled beyond belief.” The man’s not wrong.
Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa betting odds update
Adam Martin - March 10, 2020
The online sportsbooks first released the odds for Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa last year, and now we have an update on them. After defeating Yoel Romero at UFC 241, Costa was expected to be next in line to fight Adesanya after he unified the middleweight titles against Robert Whittaker at UFC 243. At the time of the original fight announcement, the sportbooks released the odds for the bout, with Adesanya opening as a -140 betting favorite and Costa being a +100 underdog.
Yoel Romero takes post-fight dig at Israel Adesanya, proclaims himself the 'people's champ'
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Yoel Romero and Israel Adesanya’s UFC 248 middleweight title fight failed to live up to expectations, and both fighters seem to agree it’s because the other was afraid. Romero suggested exactly that on Twitter on Monday morning, sharing a heavily edited screenshot of the Wikipedia entry for the word “fear.”
Israel Adesanya feels he proved Yoel Romero isn't 'made of steel'
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Israel Adesanya believes that he proved Yoel Romero isn’t “made of steel” at UFC 248. Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champion, defended his title against Romero in the card’s main event, winning a controversial and undeniably slow decision over the Cuban.
Photo: Check out the judges scorecards for Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero
Adam D Martin - March 8, 2020
The judges’ scorecards for the UFC 248 main event between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero tell the story of a close, but clear decision win for the champ. Not much happened for 25 minutes between Adesanya and Romero. Both men were very timid for the five rounds, with few strikes being thrown. Ultimately, though, the judges felt that Adesanya did more and gave him the decision nod. That being said, no one really knew how they would score it before the official scorecards were read.
Israel Adesanya throws shade at Yoel Romero, praises Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Adam D Martin - March 8, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya threw shade at Yoel Romero after their UFC 248 main event, while praising Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Adesanya and Romero met in a highly-anticipated main event for the middleweight belt, but the fight turned out to be anything but. Very few strikes were thrown during the 25-minute affair, but ultimately the judges did find the champion to be the more effective fighter and awarded him a unanimous decision victory to retain his title.
Israel Adesanya opens up on experiences with racism
Tom Taylor - March 6, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is no stranger to racism, and says it exists everywhere. Adesanya shared his thoughts on racism in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.
Michael Bisping: 'I'd take the belt off Israel Adesanya pretty easily' if I was still fighting
Mike Pendleton - March 6, 2020
In the main event of this weekend’s UFC 248, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will look to defend his title for the first time after he claimed the undisputed championship from former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 last October. As Adesanya prepares for his first title defense against Yoel Romero, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who is now retired, believes he’d be able to beat Adesanya if he was still fighting. During an interview with MMA Tonight on Sirius XM, Bisping was asked about the upcoming main event title fight. While he praised both Adesanya and challenger Yoel Romero, Bisping said if he was still actively fighting, he’d be able to take the belt off Adesanya “pretty easily”.
Israel Adesanya wants to get to Paulo Costa 'before USADA does'
Tom Taylor - March 5, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes top contender Paulo Costa will inevitably get busted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, and wants to get to the Brazilian before that happens. Costa, who is a perfect 13-0 as a pro, cemented himself as the middleweight division’s top contender last August when he defeated Yoel Romero with a close decision win. Unfortunately, he then sustained a bicep injury which kept him on the sidelines, while Romero was granted the next shot at Adesanya.
Israel Adesanya explains why he's well-prepared to deal with superstardom
Tom Taylor - March 5, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is already a big star, but the expectation is that could become a downright superstar for the promotion. Superstardom, of course, comes with some unique pressure.
Dana White discusses star power of Israel Adesanya, Weili Zhang
Tom Taylor - March 4, 2020
UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang and UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya come from different worlds, but the two fighters definitely have one notable thing in common: they both have the potential to become massive stars for the UFC. At least, that’s what Dana White thinks. White commented on Zhang and Adesanya’s potential superstardom ahead of UFC 248 in Las Vegas, where the former will defend her title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and the latter will defend his belt against Yoel Romero.
Yoel Romero provides weight update for UFC 248 title fight with Israel Adesanya
Harry Kettle - March 3, 2020
Yoel Romero has provided an update as to how much weight he still has left to cut ahead of his UFC 248 title fight against Israel Adesanya this weekend. Romero is set for the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday night as he attempts to take the UFC Middleweight Championship away from “The Last Stylebender”. Alas, while many fans are focused on the fight itself, many are wondering whether or not the “Soldier of God” will even be able to get to that point.