Google News Israel Adesanya on the title defense and details: I cried backstage
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Israel Adesanya responded to criticism after defending his title against Jared Cannonier. “I don’t hold onto things,” Adesanya said on The MMA Hour. “I let myself feel them. People try to deny things and block it, if you fight your emotions they’ll get you later on.
So I feel it." Adesanya explained how he dealt with the emotions that were at their peak in those moments. “I cried backstage. Me and [coach] Eugene [Bareman] hugged it out and he told me, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.’ I was like, ‘Just give me a bourbon, I’ll be fine.’ So I expressed it, feel it, and I let it go.
It’s a good way to release emotions… it relaxes you. It’s just a normal human function, I don’t know why we shame it”.
Israel Adesanya: [I was] upset at myself for what I wanted to do
As well as praising his opponent's team, it would appear that Adesanya did not forget to praise his opponent's team, which was able to see the tactics that Adesanya was employing from their perspective.
But in the end, Israel showed qualities, readiness, and in the end, was able to defend the title deservedly in the end. The fact that you are where you are is not without a reason. “[I was] upset at myself for what I wanted to do,” Adesanya said.
“People mistake it. This is not about other people. This is about me. I did the Undertaker walkout and I had this Miyamoto Musashi mentality like I’m going to make him wait, because I don’t think it’s going to last long.
Then I get there and I’m a little bit frustrated during the fight trying to figure out how to take this guy. I’ve said it many times, his corner, wow, MMA Lab beautiful, because they saved him. They’d see things I was setting up and call it and I’m just like, ‘F***, OK, they can see that coming.’ So they saved him a lot and he’s a good student for listening to them as well.
“For me, it was just the pressure I put on myself because it was International Fight Week, I’m like, ‘Damn, I want to f****** take this to the next level after I smoke this guy.’ And I felt like I didn’t smoke this guy, but I beat him quite easily. Easily. So for me, it’s the expectations I put on myself, that’s what”.
