Original Naija Man! UFC Champion Israel Adesanya Stops Press Conference To FaceTime His Nigerian Cousin

Israel Adesanya briefly halted his press conference to take a call from one of his elated family members.

The Nigerian-born fighter is the new UFC middleweight champion after knocking out Robert Whittaker in the second round of UFC 243’s main event in Australia.

Adesanya has enjoyed a meteoric rise in 2019 and is just the second African-born fighter to claim a UFC title. The 30-year-old knocked down Whittaker in the first round and finished the job in the second, sparking wild celebrations from Adesanya and his team.

Adesanya attended the post-fight press conference with his new belt, but the media briefing was interrupted when he received a call from his cousin.

‘He’s a bit tipsy,’ Adesanya told the press, before letting his cousin know he was on TV.

Adesanya had his family cageside for the fight and paid tribute to his parents by placing the belt at their feet when they joined him in the cage to celebrate.

Middleweight contender Paulo Costa was also in attendance for the fight and was the subject of two middle fingers from Adesanya. In a unusual walk-out, Adesanya announced himself to the Melbourne crowd with a choreographed dance routine.

‘Nobody is doing anything like I’m doing,’ Adesanya said after his victory. This is a 60,000-seat arena. People, after seeing that entrance, I bet you the green-eyed monsters were like, “I f***ing hope this guy loses. I f***ing hope. I saw some you in here as well, “This a**hole, look at him. Thinks he’s the f***ing man. I hope he loses. I hope he gets flatlined”. Because that’s just that – It’s ingrained in us. It’s this tall poppy syndrome, it’s this jealousy that when you see someone shining you feel like it takes away from your own shine. Look, I can’t dim my shine just because some people feel uncomfortable. Everything went full circle tonight.’

Photo Credit: Getty

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