Israel Adesanya spoke about racism and his inspirations growing up. Interestingly, the middleweight champ also revealed who he idolizes and derives his fighting game from.
Growing up, Israel admits he found it difficult to settle in after his family moved to New Zealand. Moreover, this was where Israel became acquainted with the idea of racism. Being a person of color, Adesanya found himself under constant siege from people at school.
“Then I learned Muay Thai after watching the movie, Ong Bak.” Adesanya found the art interesting and different in comparison to other art forms. As such, the movie piqued his interest and resulted in him learning the art form.
Speaking about his idol he says, “Bruce Lee is a legend don’t get me wrong, but Jackie Chan is my Bruce Lee”. He claims to look at Jackie Chan the way the world looked at Bruce Lee. Moreover, Israel mentions Drunken Master and Rush Hour to be a few of his most favorite movies.
“He made fighting seem cool and fun and funny. He played with it, he was playful,” says Israel. ‘ Stylebender’ feels that Ong Bak and Jackie Chan have largely impacted his fighting style. As such, it gives answers to a lot of questions regarding Israel’s tendencies inside the Octagon.
Read More: Israel Adesanya’s Trainer Eugene Bareman Feels Unfortunate For Robert Whittaker Rematch Rejection
What’s Next For Israel Adesanya?
Recently, Israel has been hard at work preparing for his rematch with Marvin Vettori. Previously, Israel was victorious over the Italian by a split decision when the pair fought on April 15, 2018. However, Vettori has been calling for a rematch ever since.
Anderson Silva of Brazil kicks Israel Adesanya of New Zealand in their middleweight bout during the UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena. (Credits: Getty Images)
‘The Italian Dream’ feels that he should have won the fight. Subsequently, he has been building himself up in order to challenge Adesanya once again. Eventually, he’s got his shot at Israel and the title and will be looking for vengeance at UFC 263.
On the other hand, Israel is coming off a loss to light heavyweight champ, Jan Blachowicz. Prior to that, Israel had a flawless 20-0 record along with 3 big title defenses. Moreover, Israel has reportedly improved his wrestling and ground game and is hoping to be even more dominant than before.
Read More: Israel Adesanya Wants to Copy Kamaru Usman’s Fighting Style To Beat Up Marvin Vettori at UFC 263
