My Mom's Basement - EPISODE 34 - ISRAEL "THE LAST STYLEBENDER" ADESANYA
Episode Date: November 11, 2019UFC Middleweight Champ Israel Adesanya joins Robbie this week for an awesome interview about adjusting to life as a champion, reaching a level of superstardom that few have in mixed martial arts, his ...philosophy as far as selecting opponents goes, and obviously, the ongoing social media war between he and Jon Jones. Don't think some nerdy shit wasn't covered, either.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/mymomsbasement
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Hey My Mom's Basement listeners, you can find our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, and Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music.
Israel, the last stylebender Adesanya. He dropped by last week, he was a real needle mover in the office when I told people, you know, stylebenders coming in.
People were losing their minds. He is the biggest star of the UFC right now. I mean, Conor's obviously about to make his return maybe,
but other than Masvidal Diaz, I think it's Stylebender.
And he was a great interview.
He's a really, really cool guy, even off mic, off camera.
He shook everybody's hand.
He introduced himself to everybody.
And I'm really looking forward to you guys hearing this interview.
I've still been loving Watchmen like I talked about last week.
We kicked off our recap series.
We're doing little recap videos for each and every episode the Monday after the episode
premieres.
So if you're listening to this, the odds are good that myself, Jeff D. Lowe, and Ken Jack
of Lights, Camera, Barstool, our movie podcast, have already done and uploaded our recap to
BarstoolSports.com.
So go check that out
if you've been watching Watchmen I haven't felt this way about a show since I want to say like
the early Walking Dead seasons the way that I'm so excited for this every Sunday night
um there was one moment this week though where it was like I was kind of losing my mind because
the Nightsister this isn't a huge spoiler for the show but the N i was kind of losing my mind because the night sister this isn't a huge
spoiler for the show but the night sister kind of is looking back into her own ancestry and her own
backstory and she breaks into this building where she can basically look into her family tree in an
almost r2d2 like holographic sort of way it was very cool the way they did it. But she breaks in and she was so flippant
about just like taking her sweet ass time
finding this out.
It looked like almost a museum
or a government building.
No alarm sounded, no nothing.
I don't see how that could even happen
with numbers as crazy as 2 million burglaries a year
and one every 13 seconds.
Like you would think after a recent Gallup survey showed that Americans worried more about burglary
than almost any other crime, more than mugging, more than terrorism, more than car theft, more than murder,
a government building like such would probably get on board with a company like SimpliSafe
and just make sure that they have every window, room, and door covered
with 24-7 monitoring for just a fraction of the cost of other home security systems. Others have
made the same mistake, though. Only one in five homes have home security in the first place.
Maybe that's because most companies don't really make it easy. I don't know. Maybe it's a hassle.
Maybe it's confusing to set up. Maybe it's expensive. I don't know what it is, but SimpliSafe
isn't that way, so that's why it's my top choice.
I mean, their police dispatch is up to 3.5 times faster because they use video verification as well.
But even if that weren't the case, I mean, there's no contract.
There's no hidden fees.
It blends right into your home.
There's no wires.
There's no drilling in the installation.
It was easy to order, easy to set up.
I mean, I set the whole thing up.
It says under an hour in the ad read.
I set mine up in under 15 minutes, I think.
And SimpliSafe has also won a ton of awards from the CNET to the New York Times Wirecutter.
The prices are fair and honest.
I mean, I don't know what more I could tell you about SimpliSafe that I haven't over the last few months.
This is my top choice for home security.
If you visit simplisafe.com slash mom right now, you'll get
free shipping and a 60-day risk-free trial. You've got nothing to lose by doing so. Go now, make sure
you go to simplisafe.com slash mom. Make sure you put that in as well. Slash mom, so they know our
show sent you. That's simplisafe.com slash mom, M-O-M. Get yourself some home security. Don't be
like this stupid government museum building weird ancestry thing from Watchmen.
Other than that, I really loved the episode.
Go check out our recap now.
Over the last week, other than catching up on Watchmen, I finally finished Succession.
Really liked that.
I shouldn't say finished.
I should say I caught up on that as well because it is only season two.
They're gearing up for season three, I'm sure.
I listened to a whole lot of All Time Low. All Time Low, my favorite band, put out a re-recording, a 10-year anniversary re-recording of Nothing Personal, which is my favorite album
of theirs, probably my favorite album of all time, and it's really awesome. I would recommend
checking that out. If you're a fan of pop-punk music it is a must listen. It's called It's Still Nothing Personal. It's on Spotify and all that
stuff. I finally signed up for TikTok. TikTok scares the shit out of me. It makes me feel
super old. I don't understand 99% of the jokes that are going on. But TikTok is a pretty big
social media platform. Our TikTok, the Barstool Sports TikTok, is now like bigger than the Barstool Sports Twitter,
I think. So I was like, ah, Jesus, if, you know, if Dave is saying it, it's probably true. Dave has
proved over the last decade that he knows where the internet is going, when it's going. He's got
that Gretzky thing where he knows where the puck is going before it's going there. What did Gretzky
say? I don't go where the puck, I don't go where the puck is. I go where it's going to be.
I'm on TikTok. Fox Talks. F-O-X-T-O-K-S. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. I need some suggestions. I don't know if I should cave and just start making those crazy TikToks that
look like they should be in K-pop videos or what. I have one TikTok uploaded now where I was
basically just trying to make fun of two people for doing a photo shoot on the roof across from my building.
And then one of them got up on a ledge and I thought he was going to fall to his death.
It was actually extraordinary timing by me, basically.
I'm patting myself on the back, but I felt like it was like something straight out of Planet Earth.
Go check it out on TikTok, I guess.
Fox Talks.
And give me some suggestions of what you want me to
make.
If you want me to make MMA-related TikToks, I'll do that.
If you want me to make nerdy shit, if you want me to talk about Avengers, if you want
me to make fun of comic book movies, Star Wars, stuff like that, let me know about that.
I mean, let me know for the podcast as well.
I want to know if you guys care more about the MMA stuff, if you like that, if you want
more of the nerdy stuff with Clem,
if you want that to be more structured, where it's like once a week, we do have a sit-in with Clem,
once, you know, maybe twice a month, whatever you want, let me know. Always let me know on Twitter, at Robbie Barstool. Let me know on Instagram. Let me know on TikTok now. Let me
know wherever you could reach me. I always want feedback for the show. That's it for Fox Talks.
If you want to talk a little bit about Fox Cox, let's talk about my cock and how it's always surrounded by Tommy John underwear.
I love, love Tommy John underwear.
That is not, it is an ad.
I mean, it literally is, but it's not because it's the truth. The gifting season is finally here, and as you start to think about the perfect holiday gift for him or her,
Tommy John should be the first thing that comes to mind.
That is a stone-cold fact, ladies and gentlemen.
Tommy John is the revolutionary underwear, loungewear, and clothing brand that guarantees a perfect fit.
I told you this last week. I'm telling you this again.
Tommy John sent me a few pairs of underwear, a few t-shirts, a few loungewear things, all this,
that, and the next thing. I love this stuff so much. I can't even tell you. It is the most
comfortable shit I own. I put it on the second I get home after work. Oh, I feel like a little warm,
especially if it's right out of the dryer, a little warm burrito or something in my Tommy John shit.
Tommy John is here to save you.
I don't know why I said that.
That's such a weird thing to say.
I'm going to leave it in though.
Just, I don't know.
Fuck it.
Tommy John is here to save you.
Tommy John is here to save your holiday season with gifts to eliminate the awkward adjustments for men and women.
Talk about awkward adjustments.
Me doing ad reads.
That's an awkward adjustment that I haven't gotten quite used to yet.
They create innovative products like breathable wedgie-proof underwear and ridiculously soft loungewear and pajamas that are guaranteed to fit perfectly.
Tommy John uses lightweight, breathable fabrics with multi-directional stretch so their bras and underwear can fit any type of body.
I've got a weird body type.
I've got that Arthur Fleck Joker body type where you look at Joaquin Phoenix and you go,
I don't even know how he's doing that with his body.
I'm not doing anything with my body.
I just look that way.
Tommy John has eliminated visible panty lines for women and created horizontal quick...
What?
What does this say?
Horizontal quick draw fly from, oh yeah,
I'm not going to call it a weird thing.
It's just a new thing.
It's an interesting thing about Tommy John.
The fly, if you've ever worn boxer briefs,
it's revolutionary like Tommy John is saying.
It opens differently.
So generally they open, you know,
it's got a slit earmuffs, mom,
but like a vagina where it's just vertical,
up and down. I've never talked to anyone that has actually used that, but I guess you could take your Tommy John out of there if you need be. Tommy John, uh-uh, horizontal slit,
whabam, you could just pull it down. I just did the motion with my hands,
but you guys can't see it because it's a podcast.
Just, I don't know.
Go to the website, check it out.
It's really hard to explain.
Plus, you'll never get a wedgie, guaranteed.
If the first pair isn't the best pair you've ever worn,
you get your money back.
So leave the jingling to the bells.
Oh, shit, they're talking about nuts.
I love that.
I love this Tommy John Adry. Leave the
jingling to the bells and give the gift of comfort this holiday with limited edition gifts. Limited
edition? That really excites a nerd like me when you use that L-E word. Like loungewear, pajamas,
and underwear from Tommy John. Save 20% on your first order when you visit TommyJohn.com slash Robbie.
That's TommyJohn.com slash Robbie.
You remember those three names?
Tommy, John, Robbie.
TommyJohn.com slash Robbie.
R-O-B-B-I-E will get you 20% off, I guarantee.
This is not just a Tommy John guarantee.
I guarantee.
Robbie guarantees this will be the most comfortable underwear you have ever worn.
All right.
I have made you guys wait long enough.
I've made you suffer through my little intro here.
Please enjoy this sit-down with Israel, the last stylebender Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champion of the world.
I will talk to you on Friday with an exclusive sit-down with Ken Shamrock,
the world's most dangerous man.
Enjoy.
All right, welcome back to the show.
I am joined now in studio by one of the most special guests we've ever had on this show
with the gold on the table, Israel, the last stylebender, Adesanya.
How are you doing, my man?
I'm great, my man. Whatender, Adesanya. Probably can't say some of them on here. Oh, it's a podcast. Say whatever you want. We're not on TV.
Yeah, no networks.
Yeah, it's just been cool being out here, feeling the vibe,
meeting a lot of different people I haven't really met before.
Even went out to Connecticut yesterday, did the ESPN HQ.
I did a lot of media. It was like 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., 9.30, finish p.m.
And, yeah, it was crazy, but it it's light work are you enjoying the grind of
media and being a champ and all that see you have to enjoy if you don't make you know light of it
then it's gonna it's gonna drain on you uh but i mean i brought my pillow on the on the bus and i
had a couple naps even on the couch at espn and yeah it's just one of those things that I've always expected.
I always knew it was going to happen.
So I factored it in and I made sure, you know, you get this ready for it.
That's the main thing because a lot of people get drained by that and it zaps the life out
of you.
They talked about that with like Rhonda, right?
They said at the end, maybe she was doing too much media.
She had her brain too much focused elsewhere.
How are you going to make sure that that doesn't happen with you?
Obviously, everyone wants to interview you.
Everyone, you're the guy right now.
I pick and choose.
I pick and choose.
And right now, I'm not really in camp, you know, so I can just spread my wings.
I don't want to get spread too thin, but, you know, there's enough of me to go around.
All right.
So speaking of not being in camp, speaking of things other than the UFC, the name of this show is My Mom's Basement.
We talk about a lot of nerdy shit.
Definitely.
And a question that I like to ask every guest is what makes you geek out?
What is it for you that you kind of become a kid again?
What makes me dance?
Like watching someone kill off a circle, like a battle, that geek, like you see me lose my shit.
You know how black people
celebrate i'm extra super super extra like i run around rolling on the ground like i'm catching
the holy ghost if someone like kills something off like to a tight beat it's crazy for me
dance is it is it anime for you as well yeah i mean like i mean when i saw fucking guy sensei
when i saw him hit the you know the eighth gate when he opened it yeah i cried
because like well boy tears because like they had this you know whole monologue for like a whole
episode of his upbringing with his dad and him not being good enough because he didn't have any
um you know uh what do you call it he didn't have any ninja too and he all he had was tiger too so
he had to really work hard to smoke everybody else so yeah when he opened the eighth
gate and he just became the red mist of the hidden leaf village that that hit me in the feels i haven't
i got chills thinking about it right now wow yeah so i talked to the submission radio boys who are
down from australia they call it and i'm over there in australia i talked to them recently and
they asked me who I would think
would be best for you to play
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And it was a tough question for me
because I was like,
I don't really know.
I eventually settled on any villain
for the new hero, Shang-Chi,
because he's the martial artist.
And I said,
maybe you create a new villain
for you.
Yeah, I can.
And I want to know your answer
as to who would you want to know your answer as to
who would you
want to play?
Superhero
or super villain?
I'd say villain.
I like to play
a villain
or anti-hero.
That's why I fuck
with Deadpool a lot.
Ooh, ooh, hello.
Is this going to be
a live action?
Yeah, they're doing
live action in the MCU.
It'll be the first
Chinese superhero
that they have
and it's going to be
focused on martial arts entirely. That's right up my alley because, you know, we're hoisting the Indian jungle. in the MCU. It'll be the first Chinese superhero that they have and it's going to be focused
on martial arts entirely.
That's right up my alley
because, you know,
I fuck with the culture in China over there.
What did you just say in Mandarin right there?
I speak a little bit of Chinese.
Oh, wow.
A little bit of Chinese.
It's not as good as it used to be.
If you don't use it, you lose it.
Why did you learn Chinese
in the first place or Mandarin?
I lived in China for a little bit.
I was fighting there.
Well, I fought there on and off.
I think 2011 was my first trip to China.
I fought there, like going back and forth.
And eventually I moved there in 2013, September.
I came back to New Zealand around May 2014.
And, yeah, in my time in China, I fought over 20 times in that year.
Holy shit, in a year?
Yeah, I mean, I'm smart with the way I do it, with the way I work.
So, yeah, just being over there, you kind of get immersed in the culture.
I'm not one of these guys who just go over there and expect them to cater to me.
I try and immerse myself in the culture a little bit.
And, yeah, I did.
I mean, I lost it, though.
Maybe if I had a Chinese girlfriend, I would have kept it or something.
Why is kickboxing so different from mixed martial arts in that you could fight 20 times in a year?
Well, the gloves definitely help, but it's not really with that.
It's just my style.
I'm smarter than most people when it comes to fighting because it's hit and don't get hit.
Yeah, you don't take a lot of damage.
Yeah, you know, it's the pretty ones you got to watch out for.
But, you know, a lot of people play it dumb because they decide to sit in the pocket
and bang and try and show how tough they are.
But tough just means you get hit a lot in my eyes.
And I am tough.
I mean, you saw my fight with Kelvin Gaslam.
I'm very tough.
But, again, I got hit a lot in that fight.
So with that mentality, what was your take on this whole BMF championship thing?
Because it kind of feels like they were rewarding that fighting style, right?
Yeah, I think it was just a thing.
I don't want to say it was a gimmick for the story, you know,
the West Coast gangster versus the, you know, Dade County, Miami gangster.
And I just didn't think the UFC should have got involved because this is the real belt.
This shit right here is the real.
That wasn't in my weight class, by the way.
But, I mean, I just feel the UFC shouldn't have got involved.
They should have let the boys settle it.
They should have let them create their own crown or belt or whatever.
But the fight was cool.
I mean, I'm a big fan of both guys.
I've been watching them for years, like back in the day.
So, yeah, it was a fun fight.
The doctor was just a little bit too soft.
Yeah.
I mean, come on, man.
We can't write the word the baddest motherfucker on a cut.
Oh, no.
Abubu.
I know.
And Nate, fucking the guy bleeds.
He's the just bleed guy.
Exactly.
So you got to let him go.
And he was already coming back in the third round.
So who knows what would have happened in the fourth.
Maybe Jorge and him could have elevated and it would have been cool, man.
It would have been cool just to see it go all the way through,
but yeah, shit happens.
All right, so let's talk about your championship victory this year.
Take me through that day, the day that you fought Robert Whittaker,
from the morning to the fight.
What was that like?
It was my championship victory.
That, yes.
This was your first defense, correct?
My man.
See, you've been doing your research.
Oh, yeah.
Definitely.
That's what it felt like.
Like, when I won the belt in Atlanta, it felt like, yes, I won.
I kept on saying, like, if you look on the belt, there's no interim.
You know, there's no interim.
Like, I've been the champ, and the guy who was supposed to be the champ has been calling in sick.
So, yeah, I stepped up, and i was the quote-unquote interim champ so i defended my quote-unquote
interim championship so now i'm the double interim champ um conor mcgregor had a very similar
experience by the way because when he won his interim championship against chad mendez
as a fan of conor i felt like that was the big victory and And the Jose Aldo one was almost a celebration fight. 13 seconds.
Exactly, yeah.
12 seconds, proper 12, isn't it?
Hey.
No, but yeah, that day.
Actually, after the wins, things were a little bit weird in Atlanta.
So I kind of just went into my shell a little bit.
And then the day of the fight, I came out of my shell.
If I remember correctly, the fight was in the evening.
So I pretty much just slept all day, watched Netflix all day.
I don't really like to think about the fight.
I just zone out on other shit and then get to the arena.
You keep it off your mind?
Yeah, I mean, I'll sleep in.
But a lot of people tend to, what do they call it?
Paralysis over analysis.
That's when you overthink something too much.
And then after a while, you can, yeah, you freeze or you shut down or you get stage fright or you choke, choke, choke.
And I never want that to happen to me.
So I just kind of just zone out about other shit.
And then, yeah, the fire happened the way it happened.
The first round, I'll tell you, when I got rocked in the first round i remember thinking oh shit that
shouldn't have happened but my ass never hit the ground straight away i retook the center of the
cage and i started working again and the second round i dropped him you know and i let them know
hey just because he's a tough mexican as everyone was saying doesn't mean he can't get touched
and yeah i let him i let it be known i've got that power as well that precision
and the third round i was just him, cracked him with a spinning elbow and some other cool shit.
And then in the fourth round, yeah,
he made a really beautiful chest move by throwing a high kick,
something that he didn't throw the whole fight,
so I wasn't really expecting.
And then in the fifth round, that was when I looked across the cage from him
and I said, you know, you're not going to defeat me.
I'm prepared to die. And I meant not going to defeat me i'm prepared to die
and i meant that shit so if i was prepared to die i was ready to kill and when i was going for him i
meant that shit i even watched um if you go on my instagram story there's a guy i can't remember the
name of the production now he made on youtube like legit a mini documentary 40 minutes you get
like a spare 40 minutes or even just 10 minutes you'll get hooked Cause it just Just on that fight?
No on the whole career
Of my UFC career
Oh wow
It went from chapter 1 to 7
And it was just beautifully done
So watching that fight again
And that was
Yeah it gave me the chills man
And just
I was like
It was a movie
It was a fucking movie
Like the back and forth
Tied up for the 5th round
And I dusted it
Absolutely
Still fight of the year I think
I think right now yeah
But I mean
The year You know The UFC is crazy We've got another another card this weekend and i know
shit can happen that card and then 245 is ridiculous as well as well but yeah um so i mean
that that fifth round i dusted him i look better than i did in the first round i just i stepped it
up better you know like who else can do that in a title fight you know a lot of people can't i mean
no i can't think of anyone in recent years that's done that but hey i did it and that's why i feel
like yeah that's fight of the year and i might be fighter of the year as well what were your
thoughts on darren till's performance uh i liked it i liked it man i think he he played it smart
you know coming off two losses two finishing losses, being finished, that is, you step up to a new weight class,
and then you call out a beast of the weight class, a guy that you saw what we did together.
And, yeah, I'll give him props.
I'll say he played it smart.
He kept his distance very well.
He used the homework I already kind of did.
He would have figured it out eventually.
He and his team are pretty smart.
But, yeah, they definitely looked at the fight with me and Calvin and did their homework.
And he was able to just nullify Calvin's game.
He was able to shut him down.
He didn't really put the foot on the pedal like he normally does when he's really feeling himself.
But he played it safe, which is good.
He's a smart kid, smart guy.
Yeah, I was impressed.
Do you think you guys will fight
in the future 100 i think we're destined to fight because of uh just our styles and our story and
especially your personalities feel like they would clash perfectly for that build-up i would say
we're friends but we're friendly to each other it seems that way yeah like a mutual respect i mean
hey just because i'm a fan doesn't mean you can't catch these hands yeah so moving on to your first
title defense then against Robert Whitaker,
you made this extravagant entrance where you had a full dance routine.
You had everything like that.
It was amazing.
It was the best entrance I've ever seen in the UFC.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Did we expect that to be like a regular thing for you?
With being expected, unexpected, I always say.
That was a special one because it was so close to home,
and my boys, they're from that side of the world
So for me, I wanted to do something spectacular
And I tried to do it at UFC 234
When Robert pulled out and couldn't fight
And I was going to step up as the main event
I tried to do it like a spectacular entrance as well
At Rod Laver Arena
And the UFC said, no, we don't want that
And I was like, alright then, fuck you
I was going to say, did you have to get that approved for people?
I think what I've heard through the grapevine is like,
Dana's not a big fan of things like that.
Yeah.
But I don't care.
I mean, how could you not after you watched the way it went?
Exactly.
So for me, it was my show this time.
It wasn't Robert versus Kelvin proposed as the main event.
It was my show, and I was like, I'm going to do this my way or no way.
And for me, I just have to stay true to myself, stay true to my roots.
And that's, you know, dance culture.
That's street culture.
You know, so I just, and that's, for me, my quote that week was,
if I'm having fun, I'm the best in the world.
I said that the whole week.
And my goal, people say, how are you going to do this fight?
How are you going to finish this fight?
So I look, I'm going to have fun.
And I made sure I had fun.
So to set the tone, I had my boys do this extravagant little choreography,
choreography, and just walk me out.
We had some, you see like little, you know,
like little details with the Naruto run with the special Chidori
into like a spirit bomb.
And like just, you see theam neeson in the the intro
like uh there's details to this there's levels to this so yeah i just had to do it my way or no way
and it totally went viral it had to help you know the the building of your star the building of your
personality it let people that maybe didn't see you before know who you are. Did that fight play out the way you thought it would?
Yep.
Yep.
And allegedly, I told the right people to make the right bets.
Allegedly.
All right.
Maybe you'll fill us in next time.
Office full of degenerates over here.
I'm a counterstriker.
That's what I started doing when I first kickboxed.
And people forgot because I became so good at creating mistakes on the other side with
my opponents so they forgot like i can make them still create mistakes and then capitalize them
yeah on the counter and yeah it wasn't really linear attacks it was lateral attacks and people
were quite surprised like how can you hit someone while you're in the matrix like leaning all the
way back yeah excuse. Excuse me.
And, yeah, it went exactly as I thought.
I thought it was going to be maybe around the third or second round, and, yeah, kudos to him.
So now you got the championship.
You're looking to defend what the UFC is now calling the official championship,
what you've been calling the official championship for a little longer.
What's your philosophy when it comes to picking an opponent as a champion some people say i just
want the biggest money fight some people say they want the legacy fights what is it from you i like
that i like that um okay example right now right after the fight i see this you know butched up
ricky martin looking bitch and i call him out i let him know what's up gave him that great suck
yeah uh man he felt that he felt that
he felt it in his soul yeah um and yeah i set that next fight up already and that's a guy that he i
felt was the number one contender because he beat your your romero who was the former number one
contender so i set that fight up and then now suddenly he hurt his bicep and he can't fight
for eight months so i'm like cool I'm not sitting around for eight months.
I'm ready to go.
And I look around the division, and I see if I was Dana White, I'd say Calvin and Robert face each other
because they're coming off losses, and they kind of owe the fans that fight.
I'd say there's a guy like Jared Kananier.
He's a guy that I think he's the dark horse of the division
I would agree
But he just doesn't
He hasn't gotten over yet
He just needs one more fight
One more big win
It could have been that Anderson Silva fight
I agree
I agree
Even though it was his last fight against the Joker
He was very dominant, finished him But they were both kind of still on the come up you know um and i'm looking at him
trust me and even i saw him at the fights in the weekend i said you know i appreciate you you're
a cool dude but i'm looking forward to fight you and he said likewise um then we have who else do
we have and who else do we have in the division you You've got Yoel himself. Yeah, Yoel himself.
Okay, so he's coming off like two or three losses in a row.
But he's still gunning for you, obviously.
Exactly.
And I've called him out.
What's your take on that?
I called him out.
I was the one that called him out.
And even his manager at the fights was trying to flex a little bit.
He's like, hey, Israel.
Israel.
I was like, what?
He's like, yeah, we signed the contract.
We told him.
And I was like, what?
Because I didn't know who he was at first. And he's like, Yoel, we've agreed to the fight. And I was like, okay, we signed the contract. We told him. And I was like, what? Because I didn't know who he was at first.
And he's like, yo, we've agreed to the fight.
And I was like, okay, cool story, bro.
Do you think that's true?
Do you think the contract has been sent their way?
I don't know who.
Because Dana seems to, it sounds like you guys have an opponent.
See Tim shaking his head.
No, because he knows everything that goes on behind the scenes.
He's the guy that fights outside the octagon for me.
Yeah.
So, yeah, I've agreed to the fight.
I've called him out.
But I don't think Dana wants to fight.
And it's hard to sell a fight to the public when the guy's coming off three losses in a row.
And he's known for doing things in the past, you know.
So, yeah, I mean, I don't mind.
So, if you had your pick right now, who you're fighting next, a prediction for who you're fighting next, who do you think it is?
We're working on that right now.
I don't want to give anything away.
Yeah, you don't have to spoil it.
But I've called out UL because if Bo Hachino wasn't going to fight, I want him next because I just want to—
You still want him in the future, though, correct?
Definitely.
I want to take care of everyone, everyone of this era that is supposed to be a badass.
So that way when it's all said and done, they say he fucking gone for everyone.
He never ducked nobody.
And he beat everyone.
So that's why he's the greatest of all time.
And then eventually I'll jump up and I'll fight either light heavyweight or heavyweight.
I haven't decided yet fully.
But I know which one I want.
So, I mean, Jon Jones.
We can't go without bringing him up.
I am maybe Jon Jones' biggest hater.
I hate the shit out of this guy and i really need you to come up big knock him out for me when you knock him out you'll
think back to this interview you'll be like that nerd he hated john jones as well have you met
john jones i've never met him but i was at 226 at his fight and i um i sized him up uh my son fight
um what's his name oh Thor Hammerchest what's his
name Tiago Santos Santos yeah sorry uh son fight him and I was I'm not impressed by his performance
what do you think a meeting would be like between you and John if you met face to face do you think
it would be contentious do you think I think he would be like we're fighting one day or I think
he'll be surprised at my stature at my presence because it's a lot when you're on Twitter talking shit and when you feel me in person.
You look at me when I came in.
Do you think I'm this big when you see me on TV?
No.
Exactly.
You're very big.
Yeah, that's what she said.
Yeah, so he's going to see the same thing, and he's going to be surprised at how my presence, not just physically, but my presence.
When they feel me, it's different.
You look at Brad Tavares.
In the first round, they all come out guns blazing.
In the second round, they all come out like this.
That's them, the equivalent of a dog rolling on its back,
offering me its belly.
They submit to the king.
They realize after the first round, no shit.
I'm in for it.
Even Robert did the same thing.
First round, come out, no touch gloves.
I don't like to touch gloves anyway because, yeah, it's silly.
After we touch gloves, when the referee says touch gloves.
I don't like it either.
Some fighters do it at the beginning of every round.
That's dumb.
You know why?
Even I hate when they hug or do high fives in the middle of a round, like after a good exchange.
Save it for the end.
Yeah, save it for the end.
But sometimes if it's warranted, it's warranted.
But when you touch gloves, that's the first contact.
And then if you do that with someone like me, I've established your range straight away.
I've established your range.
And I know you're using that as a tool.
Exactly.
So why are you going to walk?
Okay, ready, ready, fight.
Go out there.
Boom.
You see Mayweather and Victor Ortiz, you know, that's some dumb shit.
Well, he headbutted him first. Yeah. And then, you know, fight. Oh, let's hug it out. Let's hug it out. Boom. You see Mayweather and Victor Ortiz. You know, that's some dumb shit. Well, he headbutted him first.
Yeah.
And then, you know, fight.
Oh, let's hug it out.
Let's hug it out.
Boom.
Pop.
That was fucking legal.
Yeah.
That was perfect.
He had every right to do that after the guy headbutted him, you know, illegally.
So, yeah, I don't like to do all that kind of stuff.
But, yeah, what was I saying about Jones?
How did it start with Jones, for those that don't know?
Okay, so everyone thinks I'm the one that called him out.
Look, there's a meme.
No one.
No one ever.
And then suddenly, Jon Jones is on TMZ.
You know, I'd like to fight a guy like Israel Adesanya.
You know, maybe.
And I was just like, okay, cool story, bro.
Then TMZ, they're fucking like shit-starers, those guys.
Definitely.
And they asked me a
question and i said yeah i already killed one goat so i'd like to go for the next you know and
yeah it's goat season man let's go hunt this season we're in the rut right now so um yeah i
said that and then suddenly everyone's like oh dude you call out just i'm like bro he fucking
got my name in his mouth he started talking shit about about me first. And I know he's a fan.
He's been a fan.
He's my biggest fan.
He's the guy that watches every fucking thing I do.
I know that for a fact.
But just because I'm the freshman, I'm the new kid on the block, I'm the guy that's getting all the shine.
He's never been on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.
You know?
He never.
Maybe for something bad that he did. Yeah, of course.
Yeah.
And that's the thing.
He fucked up his own legacy. So now he sees a guy like me, young black kid, handsome, doing the big, what he wanted to do, what he wished he was.
And he's jealous.
I see it in even, I won't say the fighter's name, but I've had fighters admit to me like, you know, the way they talked about me.
Face to face, like off the record, they've admitted like, oh, it's just jealousy.
Like I was jealous. That's why I was saying this about you. And face, like off the record. They've admitted like, oh, it's just jealousy. Like I was jealous.
That's why I was saying this about you.
And then we'll hash it out.
But yeah, so he's the same way.
He's just got jealousy in his heart and he needs to check himself.
And if you decide to fight him one day, do you think you'll have to take some time off and get up to 205?
Or are you ready for 205 right now?
So when I fought at heavyweight kickboxing, I weighed in fully clothed With a box of Dunkin Donuts in my hand
And I have a picture of it
I don't have to put on size
Everyone thinks
And people
Even Daniel Cormier said about Jon Jon
He said he's a lot stronger than he looks
People say that about me all the time
They think I'm just skinny, scrawny
And I am
People say the same thing about me
Exactly
I know you look strong My man's strong man You can choke out anyone in this room They think I'm the skinny, scrawny, and I am. People say the same thing about me. Exactly.
Well, I know you look strong.
I can see that.
My man's strong, man.
Yeah.
Choke out anyone in this room.
Actual.
Get my belt.
Put it on the line.
Let's do it.
But, yeah, so people will get it twisted and think, and this is a thing I said as well after my last one, the press conference.
In the press conference, people, it's this thing from movies that's been passed down.
It's still to the casuals and people, even experts in your brand, they still see like this muscled up guy.
They think strength is this, like muscles and stature.
But I've got leverage.
I've got timing.
I've got speed.
And I've got this weird strength.
Like, I don't know how to describe it just leverage you've also shown in
your fights that you have pretty unique ways of getting out of takedown situations and stuff like
that where i think people don't give you enough credit in the grappling realm hey i mean people
haven't seen my my top game khabib ain't the only one who's a mauler on top oh wow i would like to
see that fight yeah habib jump up try to challenge you you I just hate Khabib, I would love you to move
Nah, he wouldn't do that, I don't think so
It would be a bad move for him
But yeah, I've got a nice top game
I've learned some stuff from him as well
When I watch the way he demolishes people
And I've picked up some things
We even have a move called the Khabib
Everyone kind of knows what it is now
But yeah
Jon Jones, what is he going to do, try to strike with me fuck no he's gonna
try and take me down and man there's some things happening right now and the behind the scenes the
way i've been working that's why even after this fight i felt FOMO because i feel like man i want
to get back to the gym so i got to do this tour go on the west coast do a tour over there and then
go back home i really want to get back to the gym because i want to get back in the lab and keep
working and and i can't wait man honestly there's some things happening just even with misha i and then go back home. I really want to get back to the gym because I want to get back in the lab and keep working.
And I can't wait, man.
Honestly, there's some things happening.
Even with Misha, I trained with Misha Surkinov over a few weeks ago because he was over in Auckland.
He showed me some things that I use,
like my Peruvian necktie.
It's so tight right now.
Very tight, like a toyga.
Very tight, my friend.
I mean, that makes me very thrilled to hear, as a a fan of yours that you want to be back in the gym.
Let's fucking go.
One more question for you.
You've seemingly accomplished most of the goals that you set out for yourself at the beginning of your UFC career.
Maybe I'm wrong on that.
What are the goals that are left for you in the UFC?
What do you want going forward?
Okay, next year I want to defend my belt four more times.
So that will be five title defenses next year i want to defend my belt four more times so that'll be five title defenses
next year you want to fill this thing up with those rubies or whatever they give you infinity
stones all the infinity stones are better i'd be kind of sick if they did that special for you
instead of just doing all the red ones if i'll do it myself i might even put a still spinner on one
of these like the john cena yeah and call that I'll call that a freestyle belt. Love that.
What else?
Is that right now you're just focused on the title defenses?
Yeah, I keep my cards close to my chest.
But in time, things will unfold.
I'll let people know as they happen.
All right, thank you, man.
I appreciate it.
We will all be watching your next fight. I'm sure everyone else will as well.
Easy as.