UFC Saudi Arabia has successfully brought in fighters from different nations to train together and help each other rise the ladder at their respective weight classes. And such was the story of the training camp that brought Israel Adesanya and Kaan Ofli together. But getting endorsed by the former 2-time middleweight champion was the kind of achievement that the world didn’t really expect. 

During the pre-fight press conference for UFC Saudi Arabia, a reporter asked ‘The Last Stylebender’ regarding his views on Ofli. Adesanya said, “Kaan’s a beast. He’s a guy that’s in your face. He really knows how to flow and throw a lot of damage at people. This camp, me and him did together. I’m glad he came through. And yeah, he pushed me. He pushed me a lot on the physical stuff, when it comes to hill sprints and endurance.”

‘Genghis’ found his way to the Octagon through The Ultimate Fighter season 32, where he won both of the exhibition fights. Weighing in on his performance at TUF 32, Adesanya claimed that it didn’t really surprise him. The round 1 guillotine choke finish was something that he actually expected. He continued, “He’s a beast. I can’t wait for him to kick it off this weekend.”

Of course, this wasn’t the first time Ofli visited the City Kickboxing Gym. Israel Adesanya said, “He has come to the gym a few times. Me and Kaan are friends through fight game. And this is our first camp that we’ve done together. But he has been to the gym before. We’ve helped him with camps in the past. And yeah, he’s a cool dude.” And coming to UFC Saudi Arabia, Ofli plans on fighting as an apology to himself. 

Kaan Ofli will apologize to himself at UFC Saudi Arabia

Ofli is fresh off a defeat by KO and is planning to redeem himself in his fight against Muhammad Naimov. The Russian fighter has already fought about 4 ranked opponents, but it will be Ofli’s 2nd fight in the Octagon. But that doesn’t matter, because he’s going to give it his all regardless of the ranked fights. 

In a recent conversation with Sporting News, he said, “I’m not really thinking of rankings and belts and all that, a timeline and everything, I just want to go out there. This fight is more like an apology to myself. The last fight wasn’t 100 per cent on my behalf. I just want to give myself an apology and go out there and perform and show everyone what I’m really capable of.”

So what went wrong in his previous fight? Well, ‘Genghis’ Kaan was in a new gym with a new environment. He didn’t have the right coaches and training partners to aid him. It was indeed the worst preparation of the 31-year-old featherweight’s life. He said, “It wasn’t conscious, it was just subconscious thoughts and feelings, preparation is key and the fight even got pulled four weeks earlier, which caught me off guard.” 

But now, things are different. Ofli has trained with one of the best middleweight in the UFC. Of course, his camp at City Kickboxing must also have pitted him together with Kai Kara-France and others at the gym. And this experience will determine how far he’d go at UFC Saudi Arabia. 

What are your thoughts on Adesanya’s endorsements for ‘Genghis’ Kaan? Do you think Ofli can live up to the expectations at UFC Saudi Arabia? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.