Israel Adesanya Clarifies Concerning Chadwick Boseman Claim He Made After UFC 281 Loss: “You Might Have Some Acid Reflux”

UFC 281 ended in heartbreak for Israel Adesanya after he lost his title to his nemesis, Alex Pereira. Adesanya came into the fight full of confidence and was winning the fight until the unlucky finish. However, the former champion was graceful in defeat. During the post-fight press conference, he referenced the late ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman to explain how he was dealing with health issues on the side.

Adesanya held his head high and faced the crowd after a tough loss at UFC 281. He even appeared on Ariel Helwani’s ‘The MMA Hour’ regardless of the tough loss over the weekend. During their conversation, he shed more light on the Chadwick Boseman reference and his own health issues.

Israel Adesanya clarified his Chadwick Boseman reference

When Adesanya mentioned his own health struggles and referenced Chadwick Boseman after the fight, it was cause for concern. Ariel Helwani followed up on the same during his recent chat with the former champion.

When Helwani asked about the comparison, Adesanya immediately clarified it was “not the same.” He continued and explain what his doctor friend Fred said- “I just have some things I need to fix and actually check on my health properly. Even Fred as well. He said, ‘I think we need to see each other because I watch your interviews and you might have some acid reflux.'”

The 33-year-old also revealed the injuries he dealt with prior to his previous fights. “For the Jared Cannonier fight, I had… my PCL got done… This camp there was like a three-week period where I only sparred boxing… because I didn’t want to get kicked. There was once in my first sparring where I checked the kick and I just went down because it was like this horrible pain.”

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‘Stylebender’ also said that he did not want to pull out of the fight. Even though there were talks about pulling out, he said the fight was too important for him to pull out of. Continuing the subject of athlete health, the pair also discussed the recently deceased Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.

Adesanya and Helwani discussed Anthony Johnson

Helwani told Adesanya that the Chadwick Boseman reference reminded him of ‘Rumble’ Johnson. Johnson recently passed away after a long period of health struggles. His untimely demise at 38 years of age was heartbreaking for the combat sports world.

“I’ve been seeing the posts, and it’s just crazy,” Adesanya remarked sadly. “It’s crazy because you never know what people are going through. I knew he had an illness. I wasn’t sure what it was.”

The former champ also shared his memories of interacting with Johnson- “I only spent maybe a few weeks with him but every time I saw him he was always a cool guy to me and always showed me love.”

‘Stylebender’ also shared that he helped ‘Rumble’ in his camp for Jon Jones. Looking back at their brief moments of interaction, Adesanya said he was glad he had those moments with Johnson.

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What are your thoughts on Adesanya revealing his health issues? Do you think it might have affected his performance? Let us know in the comments below.