Israel Adesanya reacts after being voted ‘Fighter of The Year’ for 2020

UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya has reacted to being named Fighter of the Year in the Fighters Only World MMA Awards.

Adesanya managed to register two big wins in 2020, and while his victory over Yoel Romero may have been controversial, the success against Paulo Costa was as emphatic as it gets.

In the wake of being awarded FOTY, Adesanya made a short and sweet statement.

https://twitter.com/stylebender/status/1343436863336411136

“He done did it again…like I said last year,”

This is the second year in a row Adesanya has taken home the prize, and there’s every reason to believe that he’ll be in contention once again by the end of 2021.

With a strong record of 20-0 many fans have wondered whether or not Adesanya will ever suffer defeat – and as it turns out, the man himself has given it some thought too.

“That’s just one of those things that people try and put on you,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie recently. “I’ve had losses in my past that never really changed who I am, never changed the fact that I’m a great fighter. A lot of the greats have had losses. And every time I’ve had a loss, I always come back and knocked someone out. Being undefeated is just a title. It’s one of those titles that people try to hold up like it’s something. But you should see me in the gym. Some days I get my licks, so I know I can be beat.

“But, when it’s under the lights, and the pressure is on, on the biggest stage, and I’m having fun, I’m a hard man to beat,” Adesanya added. “I’m just gonna ride this out the way I’ve been riding it so far. Stay tuned.”

The next step in the evolution of Israel Adesanya appears to be an imminent move up to light heavyweight where he plans to challenge current champion Jan Blachowicz. If he manages to pull off the win, then the discussion for who the pound for pound best is right now becomes even more intriguing.