Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White believes Israel Adesanya might become a huge star.
Last night (Feb. 9), Adesanya did battle with Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 234. The initial main event between middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum was yanked when Whittaker suffered a hernia in his abdomen. Adesanya ended up earning a unanimous decision against Silva.
Dana White Praises Israel Adesanya
Speaking to reporters at the UFC 234 post-fight press conference, White said that Adesanya is a star in the making (via MMAFighting.com):
“The kid’s got ‘it.’ He’s got that — not only is he talented in the Octagon, he’s talented outside of it too. His interviews are exciting, he’s an interesting guy. He’s fun to watch. And I think he’s got a really bright future here.”
As far as the bout between “The Last Stylebender” and “The Spider” is concerned, White enjoyed it:
“It was fun. That first round was like a kung fu movie. It was a fun fight to watch, very fun. Two guys who are incredibly talented. I was saying yesterday, any oddsmakers that make Anderson Silva 7-to-1 is out of their mind. The guy’s always taking care of himself, he’s a great martial artist, and that was a fun fight.
“But Israel went in with a sold-out house tonight, a lot of pressure on him to go in against the guy — you know, Anderson’s [43] years old, he’s supposed to go in and beat Anderson, but those are the kind of positions you’re in that you’ve got a lot of pressure on you. Anderson even said, ‘All the pressure’s on him. There’s none on me.’”
Do you think Israel Adesanya will become a UFC champion?
