Adesanya Proclaims He’s ‘The Best 205er In The World’

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Not content to just be the champion at 185 pounds, Israel Adesanya has just dubbed himself the best 205 pounder in the world as well.

Israel Adesanya is the man of the hour following his massive win over Paulo Costa at UFC 253, which saw the ‘scrawny’ middleweight champion take out the massive Brazilian hulk with surprising ease. That win, and his behavior after, has gained him a lot of attention both positive and negative. From fans, and from fighters.

New UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has said he can take out Adesanya, and then of course there’s former UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones who has been typing up a storm on social media to keep his name in the picture at all weight classes.

He took time off his rigorous heavyweight lifting preparations to send a message to “Stylebender”: “You’re already my p**sy, you love being undefeated and you’ve seen what’s happened to everyone else … I would literally tear one of your arms off.”

On the latest episode of The Ariel Helwani show, Israel Adesanya responded to Jones.

“He’s the one that keeps saying ‘You need me, you keep mentioning my name,’” Adesanya said. “But who’s been talking about who? Who’s been talking about who this whole time. So I’m going to address him now: hey Jon shut the f*** up forever. You dirty Hancock looking motherf*****.”

“This guy, he needs me,” Izzy continued. “I’ve said this before, he’s jealous he saw this young black guy, this freshman who has come up and done all the things he wish he could have done. And when I said that earlier on, people were like ‘Psh, he’s jealous of you?’ You guys don’t understand. It’s easy, I’ve been there before so I can see it in other people. You see it in other people when you’ve been there before. He’s jealous of me because I’m getting all the shine he wishes he had, I’m getting all the attention he wishes he had. It’s just that. It’s the same thing.”

“I told you, every f***ing fight and what happens? I get better and better every f***ing fight. They were trying to get me early so they can have me on their record books so when I do great things in the sport, they can say: “Oh we already beat him. So I’m like: ‘No, give me time, let me work. I’m still working.’ And I’m getting better so now you can just say I’m the best light-heavyweight in the world.”

That’s an interesting statement: Israel Adesanya is already claiming the moniker of the best light heavyweight in the UFC, without ever fighting at 205 pounds. Does that imply a move up to 205 may come sooner than expected?

“We like that fight with Jan [Blachowicz],” Adesanya admitted. “But also Cannonier, I’m also waiting for that. Everything is in the air, it just happened, so many questions and I’m just like ‘Let me chill.’ But yeah, I like 205. I like 205. I’m the best 205er in the world, what can I say.”