An avid anime fan like Israel Adesanya, Stephen Thompson reacts to UFC's anime-themed post announcing 'The Last Stylebender's return to octagon

The UFC shared an animated video of Israel Adesanya depicted as Gaara, a popular character from the Naruto anime series, which created a buzz and garnered a reaction from veteran fighter Stephen Thompson.

Adesanya is set for a non-title fight after six years, as he will take on Nassourdine Imavov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at UFC Fight Night 250.

Despite facing criticism from fellow fighters and others who dismiss anime as mere cartoons and consider his interest childish, Adesanya remains a passionate anime fan. His nickname, ‘The Last Stylebender’ is a direct reference to the popular anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The UFC, while promoting Adesanya’s upcoming fight, shared an animated video of him depicted as Gaara on Instagram. This sparked reactions from several MMA enthusiasts and caught the attention of Stephen Thompson, who rooted for the former middleweight champion writing:

“@stylebender as Gaara = [fire emoji] lets go.”

Check out the screenshot of Stephen Thompson’s comment below:

Stephen Thompson's comment screenshot. [Screenshot courtesy: @ufc on Instagram]

The former two-time UFC middleweight champion was last seen in the octagon against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305, where, in a back-and-forth war, he got submitted via rear-naked choke in the fourth round.

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Israel Adesanya says the belt will come to him if he consistently dominates

Israel Adesanya is set to compete in his first non-title fight since 2019. Currently, the 35-year-old is on a two-fight losing streak.

Adesanya shared his mindset regarding championship gold on the MMA Fighting on SBN podcast. The former middleweight champion said:

"Same as I've always had it, I never really chased the belt. I always knew it would come around. I knew what I was going to do in the game, I knew it was going to keep coming around. So again, now I just plan on keep winning and it'll circle back. I'm not chasing the belt, but the belt chases me."

Check out Israel Adesanya’s comments below (2:20):