Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has been out of action since his defeat against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 last year. Now, he is ready to return at UFC 305 against current UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in a title bout slated for August 17, 2024, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

Despite a setback last year, Adesanya remains a UFC superstar and a favorite with sports betting apps. Fans, fueled by the fight odds, eagerly await his return. Adesanya has been vocal about his desire to face Alex Pereira, along-time rival from their GLORY Kickboxing days, back in the octagon.

Before the fight, “The Last Stylebender” has been doing side quests, such as giving interviews. One interview clip, shared by an MMA-oriented page called “Happy Punch”, on their  X account, was captioned, “Talk show host asked Israel Adesanya to kick him in the head as hard as he can 😭.” The clip captured a fun moment when the host asked Adesanya to kick him in the head. Adesanya posed to kick him, and when the host closed his eyes, Izzy moved forward and kissed him on the head instead.

This video captured the attention of fans who haven’t seen Israel Adesanya’s fun side on X. Unable to resist, they flooded the comments section with their thoughts and reactions.

Fans react to Israel Adesanya’s playful moment

Seeing their favorite MMA star, a fan commented, “lol Israel is a good sport,” while another fan chimed in and said Adesanya should have hit the host for fun, commenting, “Should have done it for the laugh.” Meanwhile, another fan, shocked by Adesanya kissing the host on the head, commented, “The kiss on the head is wild.”

These comments took the thread further, with one fan questioning the host’s dare, saying, “He wants to go heaven early?” Another fan supported this sentiment, emphasizing the idea of getting kicked in the head as idiotic, commenting, “Kicks on the head is crazy works.” One fan referred to the facial expression of the host, who looked scared and regretful of his decision, commented, “He almost p*ssed his pants, lol.”

Meanwhile, another fan attributed Adesanya’s power and strike to his African heritage, commenting, “He don’t want to feel that Nigerian power.” Additionally, a fan defended Israel Adesanya against his haters who regularly troll him, commenting, “People hate Izzy for no reason.”

These comments show that despite Israel Adesanya’s setback last year, his fans still love him and are eager to see him back in the octagon as soon as possible. His next fight is against division champion Dricus Du Plessis, just a month away at UFC 305 as the main card. Whom will you be rooting for? Israel Adesanya or Du Plessis? Let us know in the comments.