Israel Adesanya reacts to Shara Magomedov labeling him a tougher fight than champion Dricus du Plessis: "He said I ducked him"

Israel Adesanya recently responded to Shara Magomedov recognizing him as one of the toughest matchups in the division. 'The Last Stylebender' is slated to clash with Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia this weekend at the anb Arena in Riyadh. Meanwhile, Magomedov is set to share the spotlight in the co-main event, where he will go head-to-head with Michael Page.

During fight week, 'Bullet', who has previously voiced his desire to face Adesanya, shared in an interview that he views the Nigerian-born Kiwi as a potentially more challenging opponent than reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.

On Wednesday, at the UFC Saudi Arabia media day, Adesanya acknowledged the undefeated Russian's remarks, commending his spectacular knockout victory over Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308. However, he made it clear that if Magomedov is eyeing a fight with him, he still has a ways to go to reach the top:

"Him saying that I'm a more difficult fight, if that's what he thinks, sure. But he had a cool knockout last time, that was cool—the double spinning back fist, that was cool. But he's still climbing the ranks. He said I ducked him back in kickboxing, but I never heard of him until I saw him in the UFC. I don't duck anybody."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (12:32):

Magomedov has claimed several times that he has been seeking a matchup with 'The Stylebender' since their days as competitors on the Chinese kickboxing circuit. However, this seems to come as a surprise to Adesanya, who has previously seemed unaware of any past connection with 'Bullet'.

Adesanya is currently on a skid of two consecutive losses, with his most recent appearance at UFC 305 in August 2024, where he endured a submission defeat to du Plessis.

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When Israel Adesanya answered Shara Magomedov's callout with memorable references

After Shara Magomedov secured a stunning double spinning back fist knockout over Armen Petrosyan, he proclaimed himself the top striker in the UFC middleweight division and issued a callout to Israel Adesanya for his next bout.

In a reaction video shared on his YouTube in October, 'The Last Stylebender' responded to the callout with a nod to a pair of viral memes. He first playfully referenced the iconic moment from the 2022 Academy Awards, where Will Smith confronted Chris Rock:

"Keep my name out your f**king mouth."

Adesanya then followed up with a reference to rapper 50 Cent’s bewildered reaction to being verbally targeted by boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in 2014:

"What the f**k did I do? What he say f**k me, for?

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (1:05):