Israel Adesanya has revealed the inspiration behind his hat-and-mask costume that the 31-year-old sported for his walkout for the UFC 263 main event.
Speaking to Megan Olivi, 'The Last Stylebender' said that it was the video game 'The Ghost of Tsushima' and his late-friend Fau Vake that inspired his costume for the walkout.
"I was playing Ghost of Tsushima for a bit. I haven't clocked it yet. Also... I saw a picture of Fau [Vake] with a bucket hat...So yeah, a little bit of that but there's the look of it [the costume]. It just looks cool. This is martial arts, man. I just like to f-----g look cool." said Israel Adesanya.
You can watch the full interview below:
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Fau Vake was Israel Adesanya's friend and training partner who recently died after an assault. 'The Last Stylebender' was praying for Vake as the 25-year-old kickboxer was fighting for his life in the hospital.
But unfortunately, Vake eventually succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
A few days ago, Adesanya posted a touching tribute to his friend on Instagram.
Also read: Why did UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya claim his teammate Fau Vake was murdered?
"You're scared, aren't you?" - Israel Adesanya reveals what he said to Marvin Vettori during the fight
Speaking to Megan Olivi, Israel Adesanya discussed his performance and revealed what he said to Marvin Vettori in the grappling exchanges of the fight.
"I'm happy with what we did but I wanted to show more of my game. I felt no threat. He had my back. I was like 'Right, watch this! Boom!' Turned around in on him. I looked at his face when I turned in on him and I was like 'You're scared, aren't you?'...I looked in his eyes. I remember that moment specifically." said Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya defeated Vettori in a five-round fight for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 263. The fight was pretty one-sided as the Kiwi won on all the judges' scorecards with a unanimous score of 50-45.