UFC 243: Israel Adesanya defends his flashy walkout dance before Robert Whittaker fight
- New middleweight champion performs flamboyant choreographed dance on his way to the Octagon
- ‘It’s this jealousy … I can’t dim my shine just because some people feel uncomfortable,’ Adesanya says
Israel Adesanya reinvented the walkout game on Sunday, with a flamboyant dance number on his way to the Octagon at UFC 243 in Melbourne.
“Stylebender” and three friends performed a rehearsed dance inspired by the Japanese manga series Naruto before taking on Robert Whittaker.
The Nigerian-New Zealander won by a stunning second-round KO at Marvel Stadium to become the undisputed middleweight champion, but suspected some of the chatter would be focused on his entrance.
“No one is doing anything like I’m doing, this is a 60,000-seater arena,” Adesanya said. “People after seeing that entrance … I bet the green-eyed monsters were like, ‘I f****** hope this guy loses’. I’m sure some of you in here as well were saying, ‘This a******, I hope he gets flatlined.
“It’s ingrained in us, this tall poppy syndrome. It’s this jealousy that when someone is shining, we feel it takes away from our own shine. Look, I can’t dim my shine just because some people feel uncomfortable.