Middleweight king Israel Adesanya addressed the media at the official UFC 287 post-fight press conference following his main …
no generic questions ask me some real that’ll make me want to answer you if not I’ll just go next well the outpouring of emotion that we saw on the cage was pretty special for you can you put in the words for real I’m just I meant every word I said like leading up to this fight ah if I didn’t know me I wouldn’t believe in me oh this guy already beat this guy three times oh my God you know how’s it gonna do it and I told you I’m locked in I’m coming I’m coming for the kill I’m hunting so I did that and I just wanted to show people the power of the human mind the human Spirit you know what what you can do no matter what no matter if they count you I watch too much anime too much seen too many montages when the guy Rock Lee gets knocked down and that’s the far Guy sensei has to fight back up and then fight through adversity you know you never stay down wasn’t a rock even Mike angle was playing Rocky one two three four five six seven in the house all week so I know you get knocked down seven times get back up eight really strong as you are were there any moments along the way where it creeped into your like a little bit of Doubt creeped in you thought maybe this guy just has my number for some reason that’s that’s human that’s human um I guess that’s the human animal it normally happens but I just know myself you know yourself if you know yourself no one else can tell you who you are so I’m able to shut that out real quick most people just can’t do that they they let that negative self-talk sit in there and starts to weigh down on them by being through too much of my life to be able to let this kind of thing weigh me down so whenever that little dirty yeah it tries to creep and I tell you shut the up and I keep going tense opening round tactical I know you said you want to put the pressure on them how did you feel about the first round it went quick I was surprised I thought it was three minutes um but yeah uh uh I was on bro I was on from the get-go and I was hunting him down and he wasn’t comfortable with that was that a decision on your point to Really Turn It Up in round two obviously the volume increased quite a bit I just knew I can hunt him down every time I fight this guy first fight second fight third fight I always have him in the early rounds and then I just give him enough room to breathe so he can come back in the later rounds so this time I said I’m not gonna give them room to breathe I’m gonna suffocate him and yeah I embraced the dark side I embrace the darkness so I could show him the light nice last thing for me I know you said you were not thinking past this moment at all I’m not thinking yeah nope nope no I’m still drinking I ain’t thinking Izzy uh obviously this week with the engagement there’s been a link with yourself and Muhammad Ali I know that’s one that you’ve logged throughout your career yeah is it cool that you had your own rope-a-dope moment you know you’re against a big Punchy look back and find the right hand possum so I’ll tell you he’s good with those leg kicks and I was like again literally I think in the first round I was like again you can’t catch my leg it was so quick cause I was ready for it I was ready to catch him and he’s so sneaky with that I’m gonna learn that off him actually but then um yeah I changed the tactics up a bit and I listened to my corner and I trusted my instinct but there was a moment when I was visualizing this fight I was like if I get the chance and when I get the chance George Foreman Muhammad Ali phantom punch would I just let him slide but I was like nah that he wouldn’t have done the same to me he will he’ll come for the kill so The Honorable thing I could have done was put him out of his misery and after that rope or dope moment I saw him lying flat on the ground Frozen like Elsa you also obviously had a quite an emotional celebration where you find not one but three arrows into him I wonder if there’s a significance to there being the number of three arrows and then I’m sure you sort of uh motioned someone in the crowd and took a little dive I know I was I’m Petty bro I remember so the first time he knocked me out in Brazil um his son came into the ring and then started to just lie Dead next to me and I’m like you little I’ll whoop your ass every day I don’t do it for you but then um yeah I looked for his kid and I pointed at him and I saw him and I was like hey hey just to remind him I saw him backstage we’re cool he’s a great Champion he’s a warrior he is his story bro I mean that he’s I’m the antagonist in his story he’s a beast man coming from where he’s come from the adversities he’s been through in his life to get to where he’s got he’s got he’s gotten now and taking me out the way he has this beautiful story for him but like I said tonight it’s not about his stories about Meister which is history if this was an anime that kid now becomes a fighter and comes what was the significance of the blue shorts usually we see in green on campus next time it might be pink shorts you know me I like I like I’m a colorful guy um I think it was 16th March I texted Tim I was like I want the blue shorts this fight Tim was just like okay it just made sense to me because like I’m gonna be in the blue corner I was like I don’t want to wear something that doesn’t that doesn’t go well with it so you know last time was green shorts red they’re complementary colors trust me I know art so yeah blue shorts blue tape around the wrist it made sense and then I still have to Channel nipsy A little bit I kept on saying everyone else can stay on the sidelines they used to because when this when it’s time I’m front line every time it’s sewn and last one for me traditionally right everyone’s gonna be like oh this one-on-one and MMA there should be a Trilogy I don’t keep score I settle them but I’m gonna say it’s settled look I I I gave him a fast track to the Belt you know I could have said nah no who was he fought like E4 one top five nah but you know he did well fought some all right guys and beat the Strickland I was like okay fine there’s no one else boss I was looking for that challenge the guy that beat me in kickboxing I was looking for that channel that’s why I took that fight the rematch I got the immediate rematch because of what I’ve done in this game I won the belt against Kevin I defended against Rob Romero Costa uh vittori Rob again Cannon here at seven my other belt will have seven gems on it you know so I I did the hard yards and I earned my rematch you know now he’s going to do the hard yards if he wants to do that but I don’t think it’s gonna because he go cause problems at 205 and good luck to everybody else because he’s a to deal with I’ll tell you that congratulations thank you Oscar Israel over here uh you’re trending on Nigerian Twitter right now um I should be yeah definitely I want people mean you’re an African Champion again um look the three kings still exist even like I said we’re with patan no matter what he’s always going to be a champion a lot of people will try and like write me off and like oh you you know the champion anymore but I was like bro they still call me champ and I’m still a champion I still carry myself as a champion so kamaru Usman Francis sanganu they’re still Champions they’re always going to be Champions no matter what once a champion you’re always a champion sport is one thing that unites Us in Africa um we had an election recently and all the three all the three major tribes of faction tonight you were United people Nigerians were talking about you the same people who were arguing and fighting each other just last week we’re talking about you talk about how important Israel Israel Israel look I don’t want to give this no clout I don’t whoop that uh I don’t know whoop his ass so bad I want to whoop his ass so bad I want to do it in South Africa or Nigeria and there’s there’s uh but he’s got to do work he’s going to do something show me something so I can whoop that ass and I can show you history I’ll I’ll remind you because you got to choose your words wisely when you speak on people that have come before you people that paved away for you you got to pick your words wisely you want to try and be a big boy you want to Bamba you want you with the big boys you’re gonna choose your words wisely but I don’t want to give him no clout but if he does work and I pray to God he keeps winning I will gladly drag his caucus across South Africa why you have bumpered on him now um obviously you’re having a Jack and Coke I’m sure you’re not thinking about your next fight but you like to fight three times a year when do you think would would be the time I’m not even thinking nothing like that that’s the last question but I’m not thinking of nothing like that right now to me I’ve been doing JJ I’ve been I’ve been I’ve been a good boy so now it’s time to be a bad boy in Miami mother’s milk please can I have another one Hey Izzy Mike felma with NBC sports did uh Brandon Marshall reach out to you that’s my dog um yeah he put 100K on me but I told him look shout out to Brandon shout out to Drizzy shout out to everybody else that bet on me but you have to realize every time I step in that octagon I put my life on the line that’s the biggest bet on this line that’s the biggest parlay you can make is put your life on this because a lot of people don’t come back out when they when they step in there you know he uh I don’t know how long he was out for but again I left them Frozen like Elsa he could have stayed frozen but I’m glad he melted and came back to life but um yeah honestly it’s it I’m a betting man too so shout out to steak um we’re about to make another deal and uh yeah run that up more money yeah yeah get more money more money get more money more money your your post five words were electric talking about being in that moment if anybody could just experience a fraction of that I meant that man how happy I feel right now I hope people can feel this level of Happiness just once in their life but I really mean that because all I say people I I talk to people every day and just like bless me um but um yeah they’re so defeated you know so I just want people to feel happy but I just feel like you’re never going to feel that unless you go through the adversity you go through the trials and tribulations you know so yeah yeah I really meant every word of what I said and my last thing uh my friend is in a group chat there saying uh when you were in that that moment it was kind of reminiscent of the previous fight where you’re against the cage are you able to remember what you’re thinking in the moment like I’m not going out like that I play I play possum I I knew my leg was hurt so I went Southpaw and I was like I can’t keep being kicked in a leg like this I was like I he just good at those leg kicks I even I can mimic them and I’ve heard them in the leg as well but he’s so good at them but then I knew I was like this is it possum possum possum and then yeah I set traps man put them in the gadgetsu and do you believe in cover jinxes you’re on the cover you lost I don’t know if you saw this I wanted when I was on the cover when I was on the cover of the EA I won I won that weekend I shot the cover with Miles that weekend my bad and I won I beat the Drake curse I haven’t brought what did I say what curse like what I did I framed the gloves in the wraps and I wrote on the frame inside what curse and that was my gift to him because he can buy whatever he wants but that right there that was priceless so yeah um I don’t do no Juju like that like my Juju is different you know I’m a spiritual person my family always praying for me my parents always fasting and they got my back as well and yeah we got it done Israel on the front few more questions I gotta go after your win you walked by us on press row and you’re yelling type your everybody everybody type your now I don’t know what I don’t bro I’ve tuned out from everything I don’t follow no MMA Pages really I just like to because I I’m not as immersed in this game as a fan as I used to I’m still a fan but I’m not like following everybody else’s career because I’m really doing my own in this game running my own my own legacy so yeah all the same type your now because again I maintain what I said I can do your job you can’t do mine I mean that from the bottom of my heart as well I can really if I sit down and really immerse myself I can study I’ve done it before but I just didn’t have a publication but when I was a fan of this game I studied everybody coming up BJ Penn Tyson Griffin Sean shirk you know uh Rashad Evans I can run numbers on what UFC’s this happened even there was a moment it was Rashad and Machida linking up and I was like oh behind the stage and I was just like UFC 98. what oh my God and you made me not like you anymore because you beat my boy but then yeah I can do your job trust me but I’m doing my job so just remember that uh last one for me uh I have to ask how why you chose Headstrong by trapped because the words back up but take you on head strong I take on anyone the words spoke to me and me and David were on the way to the airport and they just came to me I’m a vessel I tell you it just comes to me and yeah I with that track that’s the old one and I’ve heard that in years and I was like this is it this is a track and yeah I think Jeff caught the moment on camera as well it’ll be on my documentary somewhere Israel right here uh quick question love the jitsu’s uh references to Naruto last question done with Alex or anything left there or on tonight it’s done it’s done that I don’t settle I don’t keep scores I settle them so it’s done he’s had his story now it’s my story and I’ve closed that chapter and again I move on where’s the after party 11 in Miami so I gotta roll yeah yeah there was a lot of turnover among Champions like over the past few months with like Camaro you and Valentina like why do you think that was and then how does it feel like for you to kind of regain the building oh um that’s the game but also I’m an active champ I’m always fighting I’m always uh I’ve got less than 20 fights left in in this game I’ll be honest is it when I was in China in 10 months I fought 24 times but I was China um yeah oh 20 okay maybe two did I speak too soon my bad and I meant like as in like 20 fights in this game that I I just so I know like I’m gonna take off I want to fight different heads different people I don’t want to fight the same guy again and again I’m like it’s boring um and I finally beat him so if I didn’t beat him then you know I’ll go again but I beat him he’s beating me on the big stage so now it’s yeah cool we’re done just two quick ones real quick yeah what felt better uh winning the title for the first time or reclaiming it amen they say it doesn’t feel as good as your first time that first nut I’ll tell you one thing it feels even better the second time because you get to do it again and again and again and again and uh uh Dana White said of that uh it looks like Miami’s gonna become an annual destination just wondering Miami loved me it’s not my first time here I was here in 2015 to help Rumble Johnson rest in peace to a great man I was here to help him in 2015 for his fight and Miami showed me a good time I’m back here I’ve been working but now it’s time for me to show Miami a good time so I gotta roll I’ll see you guys at 11 in Miami I appreciate you and don’t take offense to what I say I don’t take offense to what you say I know you have a drop to do some of you I’m cool with some of you I really don’t know so please don’t take offense to what I say type what you have to type if I ever up be honest talk the real no matter what I’ll always take it on the chin because I’m a champion