UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has opened up on how he dealt with talks following his performance at UFC 276. The Nigerian-New Zealander revealed that he cried backstage after the match, despite emerging victorious from the fight. At UFC 276, which took place in July, Adesanya defeated Jared Canonizer by unanimous decision. But his victory did not stop critics from analysing his performance, which many described as mediocre and uninteresting.
Speaking with MMA Hour, Adesanya gave an insight as to what went on after the fight. He said: “I cried backstage. Me and coach Eugene Bareman hugged it out, and he told me, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.’ I was like, ‘Just give me a bourbon. I’ll be fine.’ So I expressed it, feel it, and I let it go. It’s a good way to release emotions… it relaxes you. It’s just a normal human function. I don’t know why we shame it.”
It might come as a surprise to hear that the middleweight champ would be so moved by words, but everyone has a breaking point. Adesanya explained that he put a lot of pressure on himself, which might have resulted in the tears: “[I was] upset at myself for what I wanted to do. People mistake it. This is not about other people. This is about me. I did the Undertaker walkout, and I had this Miyamoto Musashi mentality like I’m going to make him wait because I don’t think it’s going to last long.
“For me, it was just the pressure I put on myself because it was International Fight Week. I’m like, ‘Damn, I want to f–ng take this to the next level after I smoke this guy.’
“And I felt like I didn’t smoke this guy, but I beat him quite easily. Easily. So for me, it’s the expectations I put on myself, that’s what.”
Adesanya would have a chance to get back at his critics this weekend as he faces Alex Pereira in an attempt to defend his title for the fifth time. Hopefully, he can produce a stunning finish and prove to everyone that he is the true king of the middleweight division.
Leon Osamor