After knocking out Borrachinha at UFC 253, Adesanya continues to provoke his rival: 'He's stupid'

I. Adesanya provokes P. Borrachinha. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc

Israel adesanya managed to recover his image with MMA fans. At the UFC 253, event held on Saturday (26), in Abu Dhabi, the middleweight champion (83,9kg) shined by knocking out Paulo borrachinha and erased the bad impression left in the victory against Yoel romero, in March 2020.

If before the fight the Nigerian and the Brazilian had a fierce rivalry, including heavy attacks, in the post-event press conference, Adesanya did not spare his disaffection. 'The Last Stylebender' reported that he predicted what would happen, because he is different from the fighters Borrachinha faced and called him stupid, due to the difference in fight IQ between them. Furthermore, the champion does not believe that his rival was prepared for a fight like this.

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“I knew what would happen. People were thinking that Paulo was inside my head, but when I met him at the hotel, everything became clear to me. The energy was not the same. Every time I interact with someone, I know more about them. I'm much faster. I'm ten steps ahead and I said that before the fight. I don't just talk for the sake of talking. Paulo was provoking me, asking me to fight, but I'm not stupid. He's dumb and I'm smart. I'm not a human punching bag. Paulo only fought against human punching bags, athletes who stand still. He only faced two top-15 players and I wanted to say that I'm not all that. If anyone had hype, it was him. I faced six top-15 players, that is, three times as many,” said Adesanya.

Before MMA, the Nigerian fought kickboxing and boxing and believes that this sets him apart from other athletes. As much as he is a martial arts veteran, the champion plays with his own appearance and wants to remain on the scene for a long time.

“I understand the game. That was my 100th victory in combat sports. I'm not a baby. I've been in this business for a long time and I feel good. I'm 31 years old, but I look like I'm 26. Many think they're trolls, but I'm THE troll”, he concluded.

The victory of Israel adesanya about Paulo borrachinha, UFC 253, was his 20th in MMA. The middleweight champion remains undefeated in the sport. Previously, the Nigerian had already defeated big names like Anderson Silva, Robert whittaker e Yoel romero and important fighters like Kelvin Gastelum, Derek Brunson e Marvin vettori.