UFC 290 proved to be one of the most exciting pay-per-view events ever. However, what stole the show was Israel Adesanya and his heated altercation with Dricus du Plessis inside the Octagon. Now, another video of ‘The Last Stylebender’ has gone viral, involving him embracing his former opponent, Kelvin Gastelum. Fans have reacted to the video on social media.
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Fans were surprised to see Adesanya dropping repeated slurs on Dricus du Plessis, who became the next title contender following his win over former champion, Robert Whittaker. As if that was not enough, fans were surprised even more when he followed that up with a moment with Kelvin Gastelum, with both fighters sharing kind words for each other.
Wholesome interaction between Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya at #UFC290 last night 😢
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) July 9, 2023
Gastelum and Adesanya competed in one of the best MMA fights ever at UFC 236. It was for the interim title as the Nigerian-born Kiwi fighter grabbed the victory by decision. As they caught up with each other at UFC 290, Adesanya shared some kind and wise words for Gastelum. He said, “I am so proud of you. You know why? Discipline. Maturity. back in the day, I was a bit talented, and I worked hard, bro.” Adesanya added, “The fact that now you know, and you’re like ‘Yeah, let’s get it.’ Do your f***ing thing.”
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Kelvin Gastelum seemed happy to hear those words from the 2-time middleweight champion and replied by claiming how much respect he had for ‘The Last Stylebender’. He said, “This is what I respect about you, bro.” Gastelum further added, “When you came to the scene, you knew what you wanted to do. You f***ing went for it. Now, I feel I am in that place.” Let us take a look at what the fans had to say about the kind of exchange.
Fans give their take on Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum embracing each other
The fans mentioned how much respect they had for Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya following their exchange of words. One fan reverted to the time when these two put up one of the greatest MMA fighters ever.
Honestly these 2 put on one of the greatest fights I've ever seen
— MK🇿🇦🇲🇼 (@MK2796_SA) July 9, 2023
Another fan claims the 2-time middleweight champion remains a fan-favorite because of these moments despite his supposed ‘cringe’ acts.
Just when I go back to hating cringzzy he pulls me back in with one interaction
— ErnieTastyFresh 🇳🇪🇳🇪🇳🇪🇳🇪 (@ErnieTastyFresh) July 10, 2023
Furthermore, another Twitter user echoed the same sentiment as most fans and lauded their UFC 236 fight.
They gave us one the best fights in the last 10 years, great to see them both being cool with each other
— Mason (@Mazzareece999) July 10, 2023
Meanwhile, one fan wondered if Israel Adesanya would have been the same person if his career panned out like Gastelum’s.
I can’t imagine that if Izzy’s career panned out like KG’s has he’d still be doing this
— ddaws ☮️ (@dawsdavid) July 10, 2023
One fan said:
So nice to see that. War inside the octagon, respect outside👍
— Micro Halbi (@Microhalbi) July 9, 2023
Some believe that Adesanya might have been intoxicated during UFC 290.
That’s the alcohol in Izzy talking. Lol
— 👑Veetutu 🇹🇴 (@KingVeetutu) July 10, 2023
People will hate this too.
— Jimmy Luke (@Joshjoshmma) July 9, 2023
Even if this moment was a heartwarming one, some fans believe that people will have some degree of hate towards it.
For many UFC enthusiasts, this was a remarkable instance of admiration between two competitors who gave their all. What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below.
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Written by
Edited by
Rupkamal Sarma