Israel Adesanya, aka "The Last Stylebender," is known for his flamboyant style both inside and outside the octagon. At the March 2020 UFC press event, he squared off against his latest opponent, Yoel Romero, in typical fashion. However, things took a funny turn, and a dance contest broke out.
Adesanya Starts the Party
Adesanya got things started with a salsa jig, showing off his moves. However, he was quickly put in his place by his 42-year-old opponent, who is known for being a freak athlete.
Romero Steals the Show
Romero did a little jig of his own before bursting into a backflip and landing in the splits. UFC president Dana White stood in the middle of his two fighters with a confused smile on his face.
"Soildier of God" shrugged like the dance moves he'd just showcased are nothing, prompting Adesanya to hand off his belt and pretend he was about to one-up his opponent by breakdancing. However, that didn't happen, and Adesanya shakes Romero's hand to admit defeat before they went their separate ways ahead of UFC 248.
The Fight that Fell Flat
The middleweight duo always had their work cut out when it came to living up to what happened in the co-main event between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. They went to war in a five-round strawweight title fight that is remembered as the greatest female MMA bout of all time three years later.
Jedrzejczyk lost by split decision before leaving the Octagon with a horribly disfigured face that seemed to put Adesanya and Romero off engaging in a similar fight. Neither man threw anything of note during the five-round stalemate, and they were subjected to boos from the crowd that was still coming down from an all-time great fight.
Adesanya's Performance Criticisms
"Stylebender" ultimately did enough to convince the cageside judges he was a worthy winner but faced performance criticism for the first time in his career after UFC 248. The Nigerian-born New Zealander put on similarly uneventful fights with Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier before being dethroned by Alex Pereira at UFC 281 last November.
The Rematch
Adesanya will get the chance to redeem himself when he rematches his old kickboxing rival at UFC 287 on Saturday night. Fans are sure it will live up to expectations after watching three previous meetings between the pair across different sports.
Meanwhile, Romero strutted on over to Bellator following UFC 248. The now-45-year-old lost his promotional debut against former UFC contender Phil Davis but has since picked up back-to-back KO win as a Bellator light-heavyweight. Romero is set to face Vadim Nemkov for the 205lb title in June.
In conclusion, while the Adesanya vs. Romero fight may not have lived up to its hype, it was still an entertaining watch. The two fighters displayed their personalities and skills, even if the actual fight left something to be desired. The rematch between Adesanya and Romero is sure to be an exciting event, and fans are eagerly anticipating it.
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