‘Used to Be a Monster’: Israel Adesanya’s Highlight Video as ‘Gaara From Naruto’ Amazes Fans

Israel Adesanya’s love for anime is no secret. And it seems like the UFC is all in on that aura to mark his return to the octagon on February 1. UFC’s official Instagram account posted a video comparing Adesanya to Gaara, a character from Naruto. 

The video perfectly highlighted how the former middleweight champion has transformed into the fighter he is today – a true “monster” in his own right, just like Gaara. The video is now going viral with fans and fighters alike, responding to it. 

Adesanya’s friend and UFC welterweight Steven ‘Wonderboy’ Thomson replied to the video in excitement of Izzy’s return to the octagon. He said, “@stylebender as Gaara =  let’s goooo”

This fan just responded with the oldest joke template of the decade and said, “We got a UFC anime edit before GTA 6”.

Another fan, who couldn’t understand that anime had nothing to do with someone’s fighting prowess, commented, “Is this dude the only 1 to beat alex?”. “It’s his last shot back to the top,” replied another, reminding that his days might be numbered for the former champion.

This fan asserted the importance of this win for Izzy and said, “Retirement fight for unc if he lose”. Reminiscing on old times when Izzy used to be a champion, this fan added, “bro used to Be a Monster.”

Despite the skepticism, Adesanya remains determined to become the savior of the middleweight division.

Adesanya wants to make middleweight attractive again

Adesanya has always brought something extra to the 185 lbs division, whether it was his choreographed dance entrances or his epic knockout celebrations. He has cosplayed people and characters he has admired, from Jet Li to The Undertaker from the WWE.

And for the longest time, he used to back these insane pyrotechnics with solid performances. A testament to that is the fact that to this day, he is the only fighter in the UFC so far, to have knocked Alex Pereira out.

But after losing his title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, Adesanya feels like the division has lost some of its spark.

Even his own fight against Nassourdine Imavov does not have the usual hype and drama surrounding it, especially with his opponent’s low-key approach as compared to his previous challengers like Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. 

Still, Adesanya has promised his fight would be exciting. After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in his career, he’s motivated to prove to himself and the world that he’s still one of the best.