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Three years after his encounter with Derek Brunson at UFC 230, middleweight champ Israel Adesanya has discussed the fight on his YouTube channel.
'The Last Stylebender' uploaded a video where he broke down his first-round victory over Brunson that earned him a 'Performance of the Night' bonus.
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In the video, Adesanya revealed that he almost withdrew himself from the fight due to an injury:
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"I almost pulled out of this fight because I had some real problems with my knee. So, I think my dad kind of just gave Eugene [Bareman] some advice and just said like, 'Just take a week and a half off, not doing anything.' And that's really dangerous being so close to the fight. It's an old injury on my knee, nothing MCL, ACL-wise but it was really bad like, I couldn't walk on it. Then... took a week off, just nothing, doing nothing on it. No training at all... it paid off because I didn't have to pull out then," said Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya went on to comment on Brunson attempting a takedown in the fight:
"Everyone would say, 'He hasn't fought a wrestler like Brunson. he hasn't fought a guy with one-punch knockout power like Brunson. He's gonna do this, he's gonna do that. He's gonna get rag-dolled... He's gonna get slammed on his head.' I heard it all before this fight. Look at him, just diving for the legs, like a f*****g beggar."
You can watch the full breakdown video below:
Israel Adesanya and Derek Brunson may cross paths again in the UFC
After his loss to Israel Adesanya, Derek Brunson went on an amazing five-fight win streak in the UFC. In his last appearance, he defeated Darren Till via submission in the third round.
The 37-year-old then went on to call for a rematch with 'The Last Stylebender'.
Adesanya is expected to fight former champion Robert Whittaker in a rematch for his next title defense. Brunson, meanwhile, will take on Jared Cannonier at UFC 270.
If the North Carolina native and Adesanya win their respective fights, there is a strong chance that we could see a rematch between them in the near future.
