Sport
1News

Israel Adesanya oozes confidence at pre-fight press conference for UFC 259

March 5, 2021

Adesanya said it was "inevitable" he would transcend the sport with opponent Jan Blachowicz just metres away.

Israel Adesanya may have only been back in Las Vegas for a few days but already the Kiwi has stamped his claim on the place with a confident demenour at a pre-fight press conference with Jan Blachowicz.

Adesanya, Blachowicz and the other headline fighters for UFC 259 all took the stage this morning to discuss their upcoming bouts, with the Last Stylebender and the Polish Power clashing for the light-heavyweight championship.

The undefeated middleweight champion was asked if at any point in the build-up to Sunday's fight he feels he has bitten off more than he can chew but, like most interviews, Adesanya had confidence and wit ready in response.

"Never — I got a big mouth so I can eat a lot," he said.

Adesanya is looking to become the UFC's fifth "champ-champ" — a champion in two weight divisions simultaneously — if he wins on Sunday which will only add to the remarkable rise to MMA superstardom he has gone through over the past three years.

In fact, Adesanya was compared to another champ-champ, Conor McGregor, at today's press conference, with a reporter asking if he felt he could become the UFC's next transcendent star like the Irish fighter was at his peak.

Once again, Adesanya oozed confidence with his answer.

"It's inevitable," he said.

"I just have to accept it and not hide from the role I’m in, not hide from the platform that I’m on.

"What I’ve always predicted to do in this game is change the game, change history. I came in here just over three years ago and look what I’ve done so far – and I’ve got a long way to go."

Like many Adesanya press conferences recently, a question about Jon Jones also came up, with rumours continuing to swirl over whether the pair's rivalry could be settled in the octagon.

However, Adesanya left reporters and fans wondering.

"Middleweight’s my division so I’ll rule that with an iron black fist," Adesanya said in response.

"I’m going to go back down and handle business there, depending on the lay of the land.

"I don’t look too far because I’ve got this Viking in front of me and I’m looking straight at him. But I peek ahead and see what the lay of the land is and how I can change history again."

 

SHARE ME

More Stories