Former UFC champion Israel Adesanya and controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate share a similar background in the combat world. Both have started their journey from professional kickboxing. Adesanya later went on to become one of the biggest UFC stars. Meanwhile, Andrew Tate made a name for himself on social media. He is one of the most searched people on Google in recent years. However, ‘The Last Stylebender’ once stated that he didn’t know who Andrew Tate aka ‘Cobra’ was during his kickboxing days.
But after Tate’s videos made rounds on the internet, the UFC star praised his marketing strategy. Let’s check out what the former UFC middleweight champion had to say about Tate.
What did Israel Adesanya say about Andrew Tate?
Andrew Tate has often received criticism for his controversial statements on women. As a result, Tate was banned from various social media platforms. Despite the ban, ‘Cobra’ managed to maintain a strong social media presence.
Thus, Adesanya was impressed by it. During an interview with Mirror Fighting, ‘The Last Stylebender’ praised Tate. He said, “He (Tate) paid people to post or make pages about him and just flood the internet. If he created that marketing strategy, that’s a genius way to get [out there] because he was on everybody’s page. I never really followed his career as a kickboxer. I don’t know what he’s doing now.”
Adesanya further mentioned Tate’s meeting with UFC stars like Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling, which received heavy criticism. However, the UFC star was of the opinion that everyone has the freedom to hang out with anyone.
Furthermore, Israel Adesanya agreed that he likes the ‘bravado’ speaking style. He said, “I like bravado, I like the style. But I feel Jordan Peterson gets it across in a different way to Andrew Tate.”
Tate was arrested last year along with his brothers in Romanian over human trafficking and money laundering suspicion. However, he was released after almost three months, as the prosecutors are yet to present firm evidence against him.
But ‘Cobra’ and his brother are kept under home arrest as a part of the ongoing investigation. It seems like Tate is far from his hardest tests, at least for now. Meanwhile, UFC star Adesanya is preparing for a big challenge in his MMA career.
Adesanya prepares for his rematch with Alex Pereira
Over the years, Adesanya looked invincible in the middleweight division of the promotion. He had defeated almost every top contender on the roster. However, his past from Glory Kickboxing came haunting in the UFC.
Alex Pereira, a Brazilian mixed martial artist, made his way to the UFC. He is the only fighter to defeat Adesanya twice in his kickboxing days. And Pereira did the same during their fight last year in the UFC.
‘Poatan’ defeated Adesanya via a knockout in the fifth round and became the new champion. Now, they will meet again in a rematch at UFC 287 in Miami this weekend. It will be interesting to see what changes ‘The Last Stylebender’ made in his Arsenal for the rematch. Or will Pereira repeat his victory again?
What are your thoughts on the rematch? What do you think about Adesanya’s words for Tate?
