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Fans had mixed reactions to Israel Adesanya kissing a talk show host on the head instead of kicking him.
On Aug. 17, Adesanya will end a near-year layoff when he challenges Dricus du Plessis for his UFC middleweight title. Ahead of the UFC 305 main event, which takes place in Australia, 'The Last Stylebender' has been promoting the fight card by appearing on Australian media outlets.
Adesanya recently participated in an interview on 'Today,' an Australian morning news show. During the brief conversation, the talk show host gave Adesanya permission to kick him in the head. Instead, the former middleweight champion pretended to set up the strike before jokingly kissing him on the head.
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The footage of Adesanya's talk show appearance went viral on social media. Once 'Happy Punch' re-posted the video on Twitter, fans took to the comment section and had various reactions:
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"the kiss on the head is wild"
"lol Israel is a good sport"
"What a weirdo"
"Love Izzy"
Watch the video of Israel Adesanya below:
Israel Adesanya looks to silence the doubters by regaining middleweight gold at UFC 305
In September 2023, Israel Adesanya suffered a shocking unanimous decision loss against Sean Strickland to lose his UFC middleweight title. Following the disappointing performance, Adesanya announced he would endure an extended layoff, at least by his standards, before returning to reclaim his throne.
At UFC 305, Adesanya has an opportunity to silence the doubters by taking out Dricus du Plessis. Many people, including Du Plessis, have claimed 'The Last Stylebender' isn't as motivated to fight at a world-class level due to his success inside and outside the Octagon.
Therefore, a win on Aug. 17 would prove Adesanya has plenty of gas left in the tank for world title fights. It'll be easier said than done for the 34-year-old, as Du Plessis has overcome the odds to establish a 7-0 promotional record and become the UFC middleweight champion.
Furthermore, Adesanya and Du Plessis have become intense rivals due to the latter's comments about being "the first residing African UFC champion." Only time will tell who can emerge victorious inside the RAC Arena.
