"This ain't a game to us" - Israel Adesanya leaves message for both Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards in "bittersweet" UFC 278 reaction

Israel Adesanya had a message for both Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman in the aftermath of their UFC 278 clash. After being dominated for the best part of five rounds, Edwards bounced back with a highlight-reel knockout of Usman in the final minute of the fight.

On YouTube, Adesanya shared footage of his reaction to Edwards' title win over Usman. 'The Last Stylebender', a close friend of Usman, was visibly dejected to see 'The Nigerian Nightmare' get brutally knocked out.

However, Adesanya also gave due credit to Edwards for managing to mount a comeback when the result of the fight appeared to be a foregone conclusion. The UFC middleweight champion observed that the dangerous fight game isn't a game for athletes who are competing professionally.

Sharing a clip of his reaction, the middleweight king wrote on Instagram:

"What a life…This game can be bitter sweet at times. Congratulations to both men!! My Dawg @leonedwardsmma going through adversity and overlooked for years being the dark horse of the division to becoming the new UFC Welterweight Champion! My brother @usman84kg putting on a showcase throughout the fight, overcoming adversity in the first round and coming back in round 2,3 & 4 showing what a champion is made of. This is the fight game, but this ain’t a game to us. #dangerous #whatalife #ufc278"

Watch Adesanya's reaction below:

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Israel Adesanya predicted that Kamaru Usman would successfully defend his throne against Leon Edwards

Israel Adesanya shares a close bond with Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou owing to their status as UFC champions of African origin. Like most MMA fans and pundits, Adesanya's pick was Usman going into the UFC 278 headliner.

However, Adesanya also acknowledged Leon Edwards as the biggest threat to Usman's throne. The UFC middleweight champ claimed to have picked Usman due to his momentum and workout ethic. The 33-year-old said on his YouTube channel in the lead up to UFC 278:

“It’s a no-brainer for me because I know what we’re doing. Francis Ngannou, Kamaru Usman, what we’ve been doing as three fighters from Africa when there’s only less than 25 Africans on the UFC roster that are over 500 at the moment. For there to be three champions in this era, and winning, crazy. So, I wanna keep the three kings going. But, the biggest threat to Kamaru’s throne is Leon Edwards. I’m going with Kamaru because of his momentum right now, also I know how hard he works.”

Watch Israel Adesanya's YouTube video below: