Israel Adesanya was a mixed bag of emotions after Leon Edwards’ brutal 5th Round KO of Kamaru Usman
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Adesanya was on the verge of breaking down in to tears watching his friend get knocked out
Israel Adesanya was among the few people who had a horse to back in both corners in the fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards at UFC 278. Izzy and Usman have been friends for a long time, going as far back to him winning the interim title against Gastelum, where the two would lay the foundations for the “Three Kings” hierarchy in MMA with himself, Usman, and Ngannou as three African champions in the UFC .
The two have always been seen cage-side at each other’s fights and being from Nigeria, their bond only strengthened. When it comes to Leon Edwards the friendship might be new, but the bond is strong as ever. Leon and Izzy fall under the same management company Paradigm sports which also manages the 205 lbs champion, Jiri Prochazka among other top MMA athletes.
On his most recent visit to England, it was Leon who took care of hospitality for Izzy and his entourage during their stay there. This left an undeniable impression on the 185 lbs champion as he believes his true upbeat personality of Leon only came through when the cameras were off.
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Israel Adesanya has bittersweet feelings toward Leon Edwards’ victory over Kamaru Usman
In his prediction video for UFC 278, Izzy would reveal that while Usman is undoubtedly the most dominant champion in the UFC today, Leon would be the one to give him a true challenge and act as the biggest obstacle on his way to Welterweight greatness. How prophetic those words would turn out to be, Izzy had no idea back then.
Throughout the duration of the fight, Izzy was laser focused on the screen Usman would slowly steal away the rounds with his dominant wrestling acumen. Right before the 5th, Izzy’s brother David would take note of the fierce passion shown by Leon’s corner as it was now or never for the Jamaican to make something happen.
While David was just awestruck by the KO that followed the epic corner advice, it was Izzy’s reaction that truly left a mark. It was a whole range of feelings as right when the kick connected Izyy would almost break down into tears due to his longtime friend collapsing to the canvas. “I was saying the parry, the parry’s too low. F*CK!“, said Adesanya putting his frustrations on full display.
“F*** Rocky, what a real-life Rocky story,” said Adesanya as he congratulated his fellow Paradigm teammate on his victory. “It’s kind of bitter sweet, I’m really happy for Leon and Tim (both their managers) but then I’m so sad for Kamaru” said Izzy as he expressed his excitement for the upcoming rematch.
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Jerin Mathew
(713 Articles Published)