Getty Israel Adesanya
Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya took a subtle shot at MMA stars “who end up on TMZ,” which includes Conor McGregor and Jon Jones.
“The Last Stylebender” is less than two weeks away from his fifth 185-pound title defense. He’s set to headline UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 2. Adesanya will take on the streaking Jared Cannonier, who is 5-1 in his last six bouts.
To promote the fight, Adesanya was recently featured on “The Rock,” a New Zealand-based radio show. And during the conversation, The Last Stylebender discussed how he manages his “crazy life.”
He’s one of the biggest stars in the sport and superstardom can sometimes have major consequences for those who don’t manage the fame and money well. For Adesanya, he said that although he makes mistakes, he’ll always learn from them.
Which, as Adesanya said, is the difference between himself and those making non-glamourous TMZ headlines.
“I’m living a crazy life,’ Adesanya said via Low Kick MMA. “It is crazy. I’m still learning. I’m still human, and I make mistakes, but I never make the same mistake more than once. I learn from my mistakes. That’s the difference between me and all the people who end up on TMZ. So, yeah.”
McGregor & Jones’ Out-of-the-Cage Lives Have Been Covered Extensively By TMZ
Adesanya didn’t name any fighters, however he and Jones have a long, contentious history. The two have lobbed brutal insults at each other, and they were on a collision course to fight in 2020. Adesanya and McGregor are both managed by Paradigm Sports and they have no history of conflict.
As fight fans know, Jones has been the subject of negative press several times during his time in the limelight. From being accused of domestic violence, to Jones’ vehicle hit-and-run incident, TMZ has covered the former light heavyweight champion’s life extensively.
Like “Bones,” McGregor has also made TMZ headlines for infamous reasons, like the time he punched a man at a pub and when he threw a dolly through a bus window.
Adesanya doesn’t have a controversy under his belt like McGregor and Jones. Possibly the worst press The Last Stylebender has received from TMZ is when they covered his apology for a rape comment he made to UFC fan-favorite fighter Kevin Holland.
Cannonier Plans to ‘Neutralize’ Adesanya
Cannonier hopes to do what no middleweight has ever done inside the Octagon: beat The Last Stylebender. And while speaking with MMA News’ James Lynch, “The Killa Gorilla” said his plan is to “neutralize” the striking ace.
“There’s gonna be a lot of technique being employed,” Cannonier said via the outlet. “It’s gonna be a very technical — it’s gonna be a striker’s delight, if you will. But it ain’t gonna be no striking match. This is an MMA fight. So, I don’t plan on playing his striking game. He goads everybody into it. He confuses them, but then next thing you know, they’re in there getting juiced. They didn’t know they were playing right into his hands.
“I’m planning on neutralizing. I want him to be neutralized. On no level do I wanna be flaccid out there. If he does something, he’s gonna have to be super dynamic. He’s gonna have to be very dynamic,” Cannonier continued. “He’s gonna have to be like, red alert type s***… For me, this is going to be very fun, very interesting.”