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MMA fans continue to berate Israel Adesanya for putting up lackluster performances in the wake of the Jared Cannonier fight.
While it is up for debate whether Israel Adesanya has lost his explosiveness, one thing is for certain in the UFC, viewers will have to sit through the bout even if it doesn't match up to their expectations, unless of course they turn off their television. However, it doesn't seem like all MMA promotions stick to that rule.
A recent bout under Russia's most prominent MMA promotion, Absolute Champion Akhmat, was stopped because it was deemed too uneventful. Mairbek Khasiev, the founder and head honcho, interfered with the fight after four rounds of the showdown and halted the action.
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The fight was between former UFC fighter Rashid Magomedov and former ACA title contender Ali Bagov to decide one of the semifinalists for the promotion's ongoing lightweight tournament. As a result of Khasiev's decision, the fighters were disqualified and the fight was ruled a no-contest.
After implementing a one-of-a-kind stoppage, Khasiev addressed the audience and in a fiesty manner [Translation via Bloody Elbow]:
"Dear friends. The ACA League is not a kindergarten. It is a serious league. The ACA League today, is—regardless of what anyone says—is the 2nd greatest fight league in the world. Every time I say this, someone comes out with some sort of criticism. And now we are showing you what sort of league we really are. That’s it! Disqualified! That’s it, I’ve had it, I got no nerve for this. What is this? What the f-ck are you—What are you? Do you think we’re schoolboys over here!? Right, you’re all free to go, that’s it."
Once news of the incident broke on social media, mainstream MMA fans immediately began drawing comparisons with Israel Adesanya.
Here are some select tweets:
Translation for above tweet: Sees Adesanya and dies
Some fans pointed out a possible theory that the fighters competed intentionally in a timid manner, as they were close friends and were not willing to fight each other. They compared it to a possible bout between teammates Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
It is worth noting that former bantamweight champion Petr Yan competed in the ACA before coming over to the UFC.
Fans ridicule Israel Adesanya's documentary announcement on his birthday
An athlete of Israel Adesanya's caliber certainly doesn't deserve the kind of criticism he's getting for merely doing what he deemed best to defend the middleweight crown.
However, fans are reluctant to let him off the hook, even on his birthday.
In response to a tweet Israel Adesanya made about a documentary on his life, fans took him apart, suggesting that 'The Last Stylebender' had found another way to "put us all to sleep."
"Best way to complete my revolution around the sun…preview a rough draft of my documentary. Gave me a chance to look back at footage from the years of my life since childhood till now and see parts of my story be told. You’ll love it."
Check out the tweet below:
Fan reactions below:
