"Real recognize real" - Israel Adesanya praises Conor McGregor, suggests he's behind 'Notorious' as second highest-paid fighter on current UFC roster

Israel Adesanya has expressed his appreciation for Conor McGregor and has also suggested that he’s the second-highest paid athlete on the current UFC roster after the Irish superstar. As confirmed by Paradigm Sports, their client Adesanya has reportedly signed a new multi-fight UFC contract, believed to be one of the most lucrative deals in MMA history.

Conor McGregor is also managed by Paradigm Sports. Speaking of which, he posted a tweet in support of Adesanya that read as follows:

“Can’t wait to see Izzy Style back in the Octagon this weekend! One of the true remaining high level fighter/performer athletes we have on the roster! Don’t just fight! Perform! @stylebender back in the Octagon this week! Only on PPV! @ufc @espn #AndStill”

During the media day session before his rematch against Robert Whittaker, Adesanya was asked about McGregor’s tweet. He responded by stating:

“Real recognize real. We’re on the same team when it comes to Paradigm.” Adesanya added, “Yeah, I think I’m second place now when it comes to highest-paid fighter on the roster; and yeah, well, active right now. But Conor is a guy that I’ve admired from the jump; from the jump, when he fought Marcus Brimage. And he’s a guy that – he’s a performer. So, when he said ‘perform,’ I know what he means. We know. Like, you don’t just go in there and fight. You perform.”

‘The Last Stylebender’ cited the example of his grand song and dance entrance at UFC 243 in 2019 for his first fight against Robert Whittaker. Israel Adesanya continued:

“We understand the magnitude of stepping up in the main event; not just showing off, but showing out. So, yeah, I appreciate Conor and I appreciate what he’s done for the game.”

Furthermore, Adesanya emphasized that he aims to raise the bar for MMA, akin to how Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor previously did.

Watch Israel Adesanya’s UFC 271 media day session in the video below:

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Conor McGregor’s coach picks Israel Adesanya to beat Robert Whittaker at UFC 271

Adesanya beat Whittaker via second-round KO in their first encounter at UFC 243 in October 2019. Their rematch will witness Adesanya defend his UFC middleweight title against Whittaker at UFC 271 on February 12th.

Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh recently spoke to mainevent and praised both UFC 271 headlining fighters. He foresees Adesanya beating Whittaker, albeit in a closely-contested fight. Kavanagh said:

“Whittaker has had some great wins since that loss [to Israel Adesanya] but Izzy is just, I think he's just very, very special... he just has an air of invincibility around him. He's a joy to watch, so I'd lean towards the Stylebender."

Watch Kavanagh discuss the middleweight title clash below: