The new year is only nine days old, but Israel Adesanya has already set the bar incredibly high by performing a spectacular feat that any hip-hop fan could only have dreamed of as a child.
Showmanship and panache are second nature to ‘The Last Stylebender,’ as he has demonstrated repeatedly throughout his career. The MMA community holds Adesanya in high regard for his propensity to perform under bright lights and deliver a complete entertainment package.
Additionally, the proud representation of his African roots (born in Lagos, Nigeria) and a personality that stands out from other competitors on the roster have helped Israel Adesanya’s popularity crossover to a wide range of audiences.
Most recently, Adesanya attended the concert of hip-hop sensation Xzibit, who’s currently touring New Zealand as part of the Juicy Fest 2023. Beginning in the late ’90s, Xzibit amassed a devoted following thanks to a series of chart-topping records. His prominence has also been attributed to his role as the presenter of MTV’s iconic reality show Pimp My Ride.
Israel Adesanya joined Xzibit on stage and performed the “Crip Walk,” a dance technique that reflects a deeper cultural context than a basic dance step. Needless to say, thousands of fans in attendance were astonished to witness the rare feat as Adesanya danced his heart away.
‘The Last Stylebender’ took to Instagram to share the clip with his fans and captioned the post:
“Crip walk with @xzibit. Coolest thing I’ve done all year and it’s only January.”
Check out the video below:
It is refreshing to see the former UFC middleweight champion take some necessary time away from the sport. However, Israel Adesanya is determined to reclaim the UFC championship from opponent Alex Pereira, to whom he lost at UFC 281. Adesanya is motivated to make a triumphant return by the desire to avenge his three defeats at the hands of ‘Poatan.’
Alex Pereira admits he was hurt at the end of first round against Israel Adesanya at UFC 281
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira’s rivalry, which spanned across two major combat sports, was the main attraction of the stacked UFC 281 event. Prior to the fight, Adesanya had already defended the 185-pound strap five times and seemed keen on avenging his two kickboxing losses to ‘Poatan.’
However, the fight did not go as planned for Adesanya despite dominating the majority of the fight and hurting Pereira badly at the end of the first round. Pereira scored a TKO victory in the last round to snap Adesanya’s run as the champion.
Alex Pereira recently posted a lengthy video of him dissecting the fight alongside his mentor and former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira. In the video posted on his YouTube channel, Pereira admitted that Israel Adesanya had him hurt at the end of the first round [translated]:
“It was a moment that I felt right and I really felt it… there’s no way I’m not going to say no. I didn’t know that I [took] two hits [or] I had only taken one hit right? When I heard the end of the round, I said, ‘He did it good…’ and I felt the punch.”
Watch the full video below: