UFC 281 is Israel Adesanya’s crucible for his championship status. As he faces down one of his toughest opponents ever, his choice of music to walk into the arena speaks a lot. We know Adesanya draws inspiration from anime and art to motivate himself. So, when the tunes of Jigsaw Killer from Saw rang out in Madison Square Garden, the champ was truly here! But beyond the edgy tune and all-business demeanor, here’s what Adesanya’s music selection means.
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What Did Israel Adesanya’s Walkout Music Imply?
In one of the interviews leading up to the fight at UFC 281, Adesanya had said that it was going to be a horror movie. True to his word, his choice of walkout music reflects his perspective on the welterweight title fight.
Adesanya lost twice to Alex Pereira and in one of the fights, he spoke about the mental side of the game. He talked about how deviating from the game plan made him lose the second fight with Pereira by a close split decision.
It seems to fit his theme for walking out to Madison Square Garden and we can interpret that he has been torturing himself to overcome his losses. Much like the main protagonist/antagonist of the movie Saw, he also wants to liberate himself from a trail of life and death.
Moreover, Adesanya has been facing a lot of criticism for his defensive fighting style over his last two fights. In contrast, Pereira has been on a steady climb and has even drawn some of Adesanya’s fans towards himself.
So, all of this adding up to Adesanya’s choice of music makes a whole lot of sense. As ‘The Last Stylebender’ walks to prove his championship status, this music is the perfect background theme for his test.
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