Israel Adesanya recently managed to pull a hilarious prank on UFC fans while promoting the Engage store’s Black Friday sale.
The Nigerian-born Kiwi took to social media to post one-half of a fake UFC 298 poster showing him and Alexander Volkanovksi. The phony poster also showed a bold text graphic announcing a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Adesanya in the main event.
Unsuspecting fans went berserk at the clever marketing prank and were rather excited to see Adesanya return to action.For context, Israel Adesanya announced that he would take some time off from fighting after his devastating title loss against Sean Strickland at UFC 293. The former UFC middleweight champion explained that he needed to heal his body and mind completely before he planned a return to the cage.
After Adesanya teased his return on Instagram with a post showing the fake poster, fans were shocked at the clickbait and flocked to the comments section to express their thoughts.
One fan wrote:
“Bro gave us hope.”
Another fan pointed out that Snoop Dogg’s recent promotional prank may have inspired Israel Adesanya and wrote:
“This is just like when Snoop said he quit smoking… It’s a trap. Don’t fall for it.”
Check out some more reactions below:
Dricus du Plessis believes Israel Adesanya has earned his time off
Dricus du Plessis recently weighed in on Israel Adesanya taking an extended break from fighting. The South African middleweight contender opined that Adesanya had earned his time off but warned the Nigerian-born Kiwi against taking too long to return.
While ‘The Last Stylebender’ didn’t clarify how long he plans to stay away from the octagon, during the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match in Riyadh, he stated in a light-hearted tone that he’d stay out until 2027.
It’s no secret that Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis share an intense rivalry. Adesanya was expected to defend his title against du Plessis earlier this year, but the South African was forced to pull out due to an injury. The South African was then replaced by Strickland, who created history with his performance.
‘Tarzan’ is now set to defend the middleweight championship against ‘Stillknocks’ at UFC 297 in January. Ahead of his title fight, du Plessis spoke to MMA journalist James Lynch about Adesanya and said:
“The man was active… He was very active as a champion. I think he deserves some time away from the sport. He said 2027. If he comes back in 2027, he’s going to get hurt. He shouldn’t do that.”
Catch du Plessis’ comments below (20:00):