Israel Adesanya was overcome with emotion as he cut weight for his upcoming fight.
‘The Last Stylebender’ is hoping to kick a two-fight kid on Saturday night in Riyadh as he squares off against surging middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia main event.
Adesanya put his demons to bed in April 2023 by knocking out Alex Pereira at the fourth time of asking to regain the UFC middleweight strap.
However, Sean Strickland snatched the title off him again five months later over the distance before Dricus du Plessis denied him the opportunity to become a three-time middleweight champion via a fourth-round submission.
The Nigerian-born New Zealander must now get through Imavov this weekend if he hopes to fight for UFC gold again.
Both fighters weighed in successfully at the 185lbs limit on Friday and will be vying for a shot at the winner of the UFC 312 headliner between Du Plessis and Strickland on February 8.
Hours before they duke it out in the Octagon, Adesanya has shared some footage of an emotional moment he had while cutting weight.
A video uploaded to his YouTube channel shows Adesanya shouting and crying while submerged in a hot bath.
“Even if I fall I’ll fall with style, Buzz Lightyear,” he yelled.
“Let’s f****** go! Let’s go man, I’m f****** ready.
“I’m not even in pain, I just feel everything.
“This is some kind of ritual we always do, it takes it to that next level.
YouTube – FreeStyleBenderAdesanya has released an emotional video of him cutting weight[/caption]
https://twitter.com/HappyPunch/status/1885732312437977172
“It’s like a f****** ceremony where we get to ascend to the next level.
“I feel my body tingling like I’ve been doing Shamanic breathing.”
It appeared his emotions had less to do with the discomfort of the weight cut and more to do with the adrenaline coursing through his veins ahead of fight night.
If Adesanya loses to Imamov then it could spell the end of his time at the middleweight top table.
The future Hall of Famer has had a legendary career up to this point.
He is second for the most consecutive middleweight title defences (5) behind Anderson Silva (10) and has defeated most of the best fighters from his generation including Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, and Pereira.
Considering everything the 35-year-old has achieved it seems unlikely he would look to rebuild after three straight losses.