Israel Adesanya emulates Will Smith with savage seven-word response to callout from undefeated UFC fighter
Israel Adesanya has responded in savage style to a callout from an undefeated fighter at UFC 308.
The former UFC middleweight title holder last appeared for Dana White’s promotion in August, succumbing to Dricus Du Plessis – the current reigning champion.
Adesanya was reacting to all of the main event fights at UFC 308, which took place in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
The main card kicked off with a middleweight bout between Shara Magomedov and Armen Petrosyan.
Magomedov ended the fight with eight seconds left in the second round via a brutal double spinning back first that knocked his opponent out cold.
Speaking to UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier after the bout, Magomedov said: “Listen to me guys, I’m the best striker in this division. [I would smash] Israel Adesanya.”
READ MORE MMA
Reacting to the callout on , Adesanya responded: “Keep my name out your f***ing [mouth]…What the f*** did I do? Why he say f*** me for?”
Will Smith infamously told Chris Rock to ‘keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’ at the 2022 Oscars, which ‘Stylebender’ was seemingly referencing.
Adesanya has defended the middleweight title on six occasions since becoming champion for the first time in 2019.
He knocked out Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in front of a record attendance of 57,127 in Melbourne, Australia.
Most read in MMA
‘Stylebender’ dropped the middleweight belt for the first time to long-term rival Alex Pereria in November 2022, before beating him in their rematch five months later.
He was then shockingly upset by Sean Strickland at UFC 293, losing via unanimous decision after five rounds, before tasting defeat to Du Plessis in August.
Adesanya’s former foe Whittaker also appeared at UFC 308 as he challenged Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round co-main event.
Whiaktter was submitted by Chimaev in the very first round of their fight at Etihad Arena on Yas Island and later revealed his ‘teeth got pushed in’, which caused him to tap immediately.
A grotesque image of ‘The Reaper’s’ teeth circulated on social media in the aftermath of the bout, showing the full extent of the injury.
As for Magomedov, he was only making his fourth appearance for Dana White’s promotion.
He has a professional MMA record of 15 wins in 15 fights and looks to be one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC’s roster.
Elsewhere at UFC 308, Ilia Topuria retained his featherweight belt after becoming the first person to knock out Max Holloway.
Meanwhile, Magomed Ankalaev put himself in prime position for a future title shot with a win over Aleksandar Rakic, and Manchester’s Lerone Murphy overcame Dan Ige.
The UFC’s next pay-per-view event takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City, as Jon Jones defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic.
Tom Aspinall is the official backup fighter for the bout, should either one of Jones or Miocic have to pull out of the highly anticipated heavyweight clash.