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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 05: UFC interim middleweight champion Israel Adesanya of New Zealand poses for the media during the UFC seasonal press conference at T-Mobile Arena on July 5, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 05: UFC interim middleweight champion Israel Adesanya of New Zealand poses for the media during the UFC seasonal press conference at T-Mobile Arena on July 5, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC middleweight champion, Israel ‘The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya, talked to BT Sport ahead of his fight against the light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz, at UFC 259 on Saturday.
The reporter asked him if he had bitten off more than he could chew, and he responded by saying, “Never, I got a big mouth so I can eat a lot.”
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“What I’ve always predicted to do is change the game, change the history, and I came in here just over three years ago. Look what I’ve done so far, and I’ve got a long way to go,” Adesanya added. He also said, “Middleweight’s my division.”
"Middleweight division is my division, I rule that .. I look at the lay of the land and see how I can change history again."@Stylebender is seeing the whole board and making plans 👊 pic.twitter.com/VKKFuDrWye
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) March 5, 2021
He also made sure to let everyone know that he was focused on the Polish powerhouse and said, “I’m gonna go back down and handle business there depending on the lay of the land, but also I look ahead and see, I don’t look too far ahead as I got this Viking in front of me, so I’m looking straight at him.”
‘The Last Stylebender’ ended by referring to the middleweight division and said, “I peek ahead and see what the lay of the land is and how I can change history again.”
He kept the conversation in balance and said that he was focusing on both the divisions at the same time.
Israel Adesanya and his rise to the top
Adesanya mentioned that he joined the UFC just three years ago, and ever since then, the Nigerian-born superstar has dominated the field. He is undefeated in his professional career and has a record of 20 – 0. Adesanya won the middleweight title when he knocked out the former champion, Robert Whittaker, at UFC 243.
He defended his title two more times and beat challengers, Yoel Romero, and Paulo Costa. ‘Borrachinha’ was unbeaten, and ‘The Last Stylebender’ knocked him out in the second round on Fight Island. It was a declaration of his supremacy over the middleweight division.
Imago
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – SEPTEMBER 27: Israel Adesanya of Nigeria celebrates after defeating Paulo Costa of Brazil in their middleweight championship bout during UFC 253 inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on September 27, 2020, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
If Adesanya beats Blachowicz, he’ll join a set of elite athletes who have held belts in multiple weight classes. Furthermore, he will become only the fifth simultaneous champion in the UFC. The legacy of ‘The Last Stylebender’ is set to be worthy of the Hall of Fame. It’s astonishing to see the resolve of a fighter who values success over everything else.
Do you think Israel Adesanya has what it takes to beat Jan Blachowicz?
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