Getty Israel Adesanya
The UFC should “stop pushing” middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, according to Henry Cejudo who slammed the fighter’s “lame” performance from last weekend.
“The Last Stylebender” competed as the UFC 276 headliner on July 2nd at UFC 276 against Jared Cannonier, and the two fought for five rounds in Las Vegas. However, by the fifth frame, fans started exiting the T-Mobile Arena.
The contest was viewed by many as a lackluster affair, especially compared to Adesanya’s pre-fight prediction of adding sensational moments to his highlight reel. In the end, the striking battle went to the judges’ scorecards and The Last Stylebender picked up his fifth 185-pound title defense, winning via unanimous decision.
During a recent episode of Cejudo’s “The Triple C & Schmo Show” podcast, the former two-division UFC champion gave his take on Adesanya’s Vegas showing. “Triple C” pointed to the middleweight king’s walkout, which featured him emerging from the back with an urn, paying homage to WWE superstar The Undertaker.
“It’s crazy when you come out to freaking, to The Undertaker [theme song], and you didn’t put on a performance, man, on Saturday night,” Cejudo said via MMA News. “It was lame, dude. You gotta start giving, main events are special, dude. If he’s not performing, UFC, stop pushing this dude. He’s a decision-maker.”
Cejudo Said Adesanya Doesn’t Deliver on His Promises of Exciting Fights & Finishes
Triple C continued with his thoughts on Adesanya, who he said “doesn’t deliver” on his promises of highlight-level action. The Last Stylebender has received a level of criticism for each of his past three fights after going to a decision against Cannonier, Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori.
And Cejudo feels like fans may now anticipate what he does on his way into the Octagon more than what he does inside of it.
“He hypes a lot, and he doesn’t deliver. He talks a lot, and he doesn’t deliver. It’s been like that with him for a minute now. And I think if you’re gonna call people out and do all this other stuff, finish them.
“Put a beating on people. Be spectacular. People look forward more to his entrance than his actual fight, and that’s a problem because what you do wanna be good at is when you fight.”
Adesanya Put the Media on Blast During the UFC 276 Post-Fight Press Conference
After he left the cage with his middleweight belt, The Last Stylebender spoke with the media during the post-fight press conference. And after all of the questions had been answered, Adesanya had something to say to those writing and reporting about him.
“There’s something I want to say,” Adesanya said via Bloody Elbow. “You guys have a job to do and I’m not criticizing you guys, in particular, I kinda am. But, just remember this, I can do your job. You could never do my job. Just remember that. I could do your job, trust me. I got [my YouTube channel] FREESTYLEBENDER. David [Blakamoto] runs that s***, but if I wanted to, if I had the time, I could. And I appreciate you guys for what you do. Not just for me but for other fighters, man, just be mindful with your words. Be mindful with the way you clickbait. That s*** is weak.
“I know how YouTube works now and I know how these interviews work. I’m glad I have my own network, but just be mindful cause I could do your job, you can’t do mine. Just remember that. Thank you.”