Israel Adesanya has taken a lot of time away from the sport, looking to fully recover from his injuries and get back into the flow of things. With his rehabilitation and other legal matters currently under progress, the fighter has mostly kept away from the limelight. However, when you are a star as big as Adesanya, it is difficult to completely evade the MMA community.
For those unaware, Israel Adesanya has been sitting on the sidelines since his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Losing his middleweight title for the second time in three fights, Adesanya chose to put his career on hold, in order to work out things in his life. Since then, he has called short his recluse, making his intent known, to challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the title.
📰………….🗞️
“It’s good to see you smiling in the gym again brother.” Best words I’ve heard come my way all day…it wasn’t said by Eugene lol. He called me a Dickhead and I called him Fat. Then we hit pads. Great day today!! 😊✨ pic.twitter.com/Akuba5HPfF— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) January 12, 2024
Although the fight was plotted for UFC 300, it has since been postponed, owing to Dricus’ injuries. However, in the meantime, Israel has made his position clear. Since then, he has also been spotted more publicly and made his presence known. As such, he has once again returned to training, started doing interviews and interacting with the fans, who since, his last fight, had seemingly turned on him.
Israel Adesanya allegedly slapped two fans in the past
Previously, Israel Adesanya faced a lot of backlash from the fans. Owing to a lot of implicating things about the fighter coming to light, a lot of fans had some very mean things to say about him. Not only that but with Sean Strickland managing to sway the fans after UFC 293, the loss was an even worse one to take.
That said, Adesanya still has a lot of fans on his side, who love him for everything that he has accomplished in the sport. A two-time middleweight champion, Izzy has put together one of the most memorable runs in his division. That said, in a recent podcast appearance with Demetrious Johnson, Israel delved into the time when dealing with fans got a little handsy:
“For me, having them around (bodyguards) is more about fans. It’s cause last year allegedly I might have clapped two people. Taking a warm hand to their face because I’m a human being, and my fuse is long but I am a human being. Some days my fuse is short.”
“A guy was excited in the crowd, I think it was at a Larry June concert and then ‘Let’s go champ!’ he hit me like a horse on my back and I’m like, ‘What the f**k?’ and I just took a backhand. He looked shocked, and them eventually I bought him a shot then said, ‘Bro, I know you’re excited but don’t do that again.'”
As a result, Israel Adesanya reveals why he needs to keep security on him at all times. Prior to his podcast with ‘Mighty Mouse’, his bodyguard did a thorough check of the premises, much to Johnson’s surprise. Considering the drama that Adesanya has been involved with, in terms of fans, his ex-girlfriend and his DUI, it seems like a sound and reasonable choice to make.
Israel Adesanya has also had wholesome moments with fans
As mentioned previously, Israel Adesanya has seen a stark contrast in how fans view him, since UFC 293. In addition to trolling him for losing to Strickland and comparing his injuries to that of what Chadwick Boseman went through, the reasons why fans started hating Adesanya kept multiplying. Moreover, seeing that his rather strange habits with his pet dogs also coming to light, Izzy was far from the good graces of fans.
Prior to this, he would often enjoy a lot of the fans’ support and have wholesome moments with them as well. Ahead of UFC 293, Izzy received a warm welcome from the Sydney crowd during the open workouts, where he also had a few fans join him on stage for a little push-up competition. All in all, it was a fun, light-hearted moment that Adesanya shared with the fans, and likely the last.
Since then, his comments regarding Alex Pereira have been frowned upon by the Brazilian’s ever-increasing fanbase. Having referred to them as ‘Poatards’ on the podcast, he revealed that his problems were not with the fighter, but rather the fans who worship him constantly. On the other hand, fans have trolled Izzy for his ‘I beat that guy one time’ comments coming full circle, and him becoming, in essence, what he said Alex would be.
