Daniel Cormier praises Israel Adesanya for being confident enough to dance during his UFC 243 walkout

Daniel Cormier has lauded Israel Adesanya for his self-belief. 'DC' particularly praised Adesanya for being confident enough to put forth a dance performance ahead of one of the biggest fights of his career.

The UFC 243 main event in October 2019 witnessed then-interim UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya face then-UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Adesanya defeated Whittaker via second round KO and walked away as the undisputed UFC middleweight champion.

One of the biggest talking points to emerge from UFC 243 was the incredible dance performance ‘The Last Stylebender’ put on during his entrance to the cage.

In an edition of The DC Check-In, MMA legend Daniel Cormier recalled the entrance and insinuated that Israel Adesanya danced confidently despite knowing that it could affect his energy levels during the fight. 'DC' stated:

“But that’s how confident he is in what he does, right? That’s how confident Israel Adesanya is in himself and what he can do once he gets in there; that he can put together that entire dance. And they told me – The production team told me – It took hours for him to do this and figure out exactly how he wanted it done. He went out there and then he knocks out Robert Whittaker to become the freaking undisputed [UFC middleweight] champion in front of 61,000 [people]; in front of 61,000.”

Cormier then shared the story of Adesanya having attended the same venue where he defeated Whittaker years later.

Israel Adesanya later revealed that he attended a UFC event as a fan a few years back at the same venue where he beat Robert Whittaker. Daniel Cormier acknowledged this and emphasized, “This dude’s story has been unreal.”

Watch Daniel Cormier praise Israel Adesanya for his confidence in the video below:

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Michael Bisping on the much-discussed Kamaru Usman vs. Israel Adesanya super-fight

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping recently suggested that UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman ought to move up in weight and face UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for his title.

In an edition of his Believe You Me podcast, ‘The Count’ suggested that since both champions have almost cleaned out their respective divisions, their much-discussed super fight does indeed make sense.

Both men have shot down the fight in the past due to them both being Nigerian-born, however, Bisping doesn't think that should hold the bout back.

“I think Usman Just needs to step up and fight f***ing Israel Adesanya. I know they're both from f***ing Nigeria, right? So f***ing what?” Bisping added, “If Adesanya continues to lap everybody and certainly if he beats Robert Whitaker, he needs fresh meat. If Kamaru continues to win, c'mon! C'mon!”

Presently, Kamaru Usman is expected to defend his title in a rematch against Leon Edwards next. However, the official fight date for the rematch has yet to be revealed.

Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya is scheduled to defend his title in a rematch against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 on February 12th.