Israel Adesanya has responded to praise given to him by the “Notorious” Conor McGregor.
Adesanya is set to put his UFC Middleweight Championship on the line against Robert Whittaker this Saturday night (Feb. 12). “Izzy” will go one-on-one with Robert Whittaker in a rematch. The title fight will headline UFC 271 inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Izzy & Mystic Mac
During the pre-fight press conference for UFC 271, Israel Adesanya responded to kind words from Conor McGregor, who said “Izzy” is one of the last true performers in MMA.
“Real recognize real,” Adesanya told media members, including MiddleEasy. “We’re on the same team when it comes to Paradigm, G-pizzle. Yeah, I think I’m second place now when it comes to highest paid fighter on the roster, active right now. Conor is a guy that I’ve admired from the jump, from the jump when he fought Marcus Brimage. He’s a guy that — he’s a performer. So, when he said perform I know what he means. We know you don’t just go in there and fight, you perform. Look at the last fight with Whittaker. I was a f*cking rock star concert. I gave a song and dance, the whole thing shining. So, yeah we understand the magnitude of stepping up in the main event not just showing off but showing out.”
Adesanya went on to say that McGregor is the gold standard and has left fighters and even media members striving for more.
“Whether you like him or not, he f*cking raised the bar. He raised the bar for everyone, even you guys [media] in here. The whole game is better because of him.”
MiddleEasy has been on the scene for UFC 271. Stick with us throughout the rest of fight week for coverage. Of course, we’ll be bringing you results from the key bouts on fight night, including video highlights.
