"No hespect" - Israel Adesanya channels inner Paulo Costa to troll Manel Kape after UFC 293 presser altercation

Israel Adesanya trolled Manel Kape after their altercation during the UFC 293 press conference.

As UFC 293 quickly approaches, the main card fighters met on Wednesday for a press conference and first faceoffs. Among those in attendance were Adesanya and Kape, who surprisingly found themselves arguing face-to-face.

Sitting in one of the front rows was Kai Kara-France, a teammate of Adesanya who was supposed to fight Kape before pulling out due to a concussion. Once ‘Starboy’ saw his previously scheduled opponent, he began screaming at Kara-France and threw a bottle.

Adesanya was sitting two seats over from Kape and stood up to defend his teammate, leading to a verbal argument between the flyweight and middleweight.

During the press conference aftermath, social media was intrigued by the altercation between Adesanya and Kape. One fan of ‘The Last Stylebender’ showed support for the middleweight champion by posting a picture on X (previously Twitter) of ‘Starboy’ driving a car, with the caption saying:

“Bro. Hook him up with a booster seat.”

Israel Adesanya responded with what could be considered a Paulo Costa-type message:

“Bro didn’t even stand up while talking to me. No hespect, I jizzapprove 100%”

On Saturday night, September 9, Manel Kape will step into the Octagon for the sixth time after multiple opponents pulled out. The former RIZIN champion has been matched up against promotional newcomer Felipe dos Santos, who holds a professional MMA record of 7-0.

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Israel Adesanya reveals who he wants next after UFC 293

The UFC reportedly wanted Israel Adesanya to fight Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 293 main event. Du Plessis turned down the short-notice opportunity after defeating Robert Whittaker on July 8, leading to Sean Strickland stepping in.

Despite being ranked number one, there is a chance Du Plessis might now need another win due to the UFC brass not being happy with his decision. During an interview on his YouTube channel, Adesanya was asked who he would want to fight after Strickland. The middleweight king responded by saying:

"Right now there's no clear-cut anything. But, as much as I don't want to reward his stupidity for letting go of the opportunity, I do want that Dricus fight. But I don't want to reward someone that just lets go of that opportunity because I never let go of the opportunity that was placed in my hands. I feel like you really have to take the bull by the horns."

Before focusing on what’s next, Israel Adesanya must get through Sean Strickland. Although he’s a massive betting underdog, Strickland can’t be overlooked, as anything can happen in MMA. With that said, Adesanya has proven to be nearly unbeatable against strikers at 185 pounds.