Israel Adesanya put his next opponent on notice before descending into the cage to fight Paulo Costa.
Abesabi separated the muscled Brazilian in two rounds to retain his UFC middleweight title in Abu Dhabi.
The Nigerian-born New Zealander attacked his challenging leg from the start before throwing him a challenge.
And Adesanya revealed that he has already given a message to Jared Cannonier about future fights.
“I had to remind the world that we are the best.” Said the champion.
(Photo: Zufa LLC)
“Anderson Silva was living a great legacy and I want to serve the middleweight division. It’s a tough act to follow but we’re working.
“I already DM Jared Cannonier; he’s a young man’s hell, I love his energy, he’s a handsome man. I said, you destroy Robert Whittaker and then you
“He’s the one I have to fight with. He deserves it. If he hits Robert Whitker with his hand and destroys him, he’s ahead.”
Whittaker and Cannonier are scheduled to clash on October 24 in the co-main event of the lightweight title defense against Babin Nurmagomedov against Justin Gethsemane.
(Photo: Zufa LLC)
Adesanya added: “I am not a human punching bag and he has only fought human punch bags.
“After the first round I was very fresh; I looked up and I could see him sitting down.”
“They want me to stand there so he can punch me but I’m not stupid.
“I said before I went there that I would have fun there; I was going to be smart and organized and strategic but I would enjoy being there and I did.”
Total coffee specialist. Hardcore reader. Incurable music scholar. Web guru. Freelance troublemaker. Problem solver. Travel trailblazer.
