Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3090075/ufc-israel-adesanya-tells-fans-not-ignore
Martial Arts/ Mixed Martial Arts

UFC: Israel Adesanya tells fans not to ignore ‘the elephant in the room’ during Juneteenth commemorations

  • Nigerian-Kiwi Adesanya tells fans to ‘f*** the system’ as he believes world power will ‘return to the people’
  • Rumours continue to swirl around the middleweight champion’s title defence against Paulo Costa
Israel Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champion, was one of some 4,000 New Zealand protesters demonstrating against the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd in a Black Lives Matter protest in Auckland in June. Photo: AFP

Israel Adesanya told his fans to “f*** the system” and “f*** your couch” in an attempt to raise awareness around Emancipation Day – or Juneteenth – a day celebrating the end of slavery across the US.

UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (19-0), who was seen giving an emotional speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in his native New Zealand last month, urged people to not be distracted by what the “cameras focus on” and address “the elephant in the room” – which he cryptically compared to Harry Potter series’ Voldemort character but did not specify further.

“F*** the system! F*** couch!! What a time to be alive. Imagine what it would have been like to be a slave on #Emancipation Day #Juneteenth, or to have been alive witnessing the fall of the Western Roman Empire,” said “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya alongside a photo of his dog on a sports field next to a sign prohibiting dogs. Emancipation Day was celebrated on June 19.

“We are in the mist of a great changing of the guard in our world, having the power return back to the people. Most of us are focused on the manufactured riots, Covid-19 and whatever else cameras focus on.

“Meanwhile the elephant in the room is right there but no one dares look at it and lord Voldemort aka she who shall not be named. [It’s OK], don’t pay me no mind. I’m just walking with my doggos and took a cool pic of my dog saying #f***thesystem #f***yourcouch”.

The 30-year-old Nigerian-Kiwi, who last fought in a unanimous decision win against Yoel Romero in March, also posted photos of himself next to an elderly white woman with the caption, “We are all one. But we are not the same.”







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‍♂️ We are all one. But we are not the same.

A post shared by Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) on

While the UFC has yet to schedule his next title fight, Adesanya has also been rumoured to be one of two coaches for the promotion’s The Ultimate Fighter reality show next season – alongside middleweight contender Paulo Costa. UFC president Dana White confirmed to The Schmozone Podcast that Costa “wants it”.

White also confirmed at the UFC Fight Night post-fight press conference that the Adesanya vs Costa “fight is happening” but did not go into why there have been delays.

“Borrachinha” Costa (13-0) has not fought since a unanimous decision win against Romero in August 2019. The 29-year-old Brazilian retweeted coach Eric Albarracin’s interview clip calling the pair “the biggest middleweight rivalry in history next to Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen”.