Israel Adesanya entered UFC 243 with a coordinated dance routine that seemed suitable for a Backstreet Boys concert. The 30-year-old fighter entered Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Saturday with a group of what appeared to be professional dancers.
He also walked off with a win and a still-undefeated record. Adesanya (18-0) knocked out Robert Whittaker (20-5) in the second round, and became the undisputed UFC middleweight champion.
But let’s really break down this stellar walkout routine. It started with one of the dancers walking out, which was a little confusing: Where was Adesanya? Well, the Nigerian-New Zealander was on the way. And while the dancers’ moves were sweet, they were nothing compared to those of Adesanya, who did a sideways flip. (He also seemed to make a reference to Marvel’s “The Avengers” by pretending to put on Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet, but I digress into nerddom.) Here’s a look at the routine.
It’s hard to imagine anyone topping that walkout for the foreseeable future. However, Adesanya seemed to anticipate negativity around his walkout, which was starkly different than his opponent, Whittaker, who simply walked out with his hood over his eyes while beating his chest.
Adesanya defended his flashy style, via the South China Morning Post:
“No one is doing anything like I’m doing, this is a 60,000-seater arena,” Adesanya said. “People after seeing that entrance … I bet the green-eyed monsters were like, ‘I (expletive) hope this guy loses’. I’m sure some of you in here as well were saying, ‘This (expletive), I hope he gets flatlined.’
“It’s ingrained in us, this tall poppy syndrome. It’s this jealousy that when someone is shining, we feel it takes away from our own shine. Look, I can’t dim my shine just because some people feel uncomfortable.
“Everything went full circle tonight – I danced with some of my day ones, my day negative fives, some people I’ve known from way back,” he added at the post-event press conference. “To have them set the tone for me, and just have fun … When I’m having fun, I’m the best in the world.”
After his strong performance on Saturday, it’s hard to argue with him.
