Tyron Woodley sees Israel Adesanya’s stock soaring near the top of UFC star status.
Adesanya is the UFC middleweight champion. He captured the undisputed gold when he stopped Robert Whittaker earlier this month at UFC 243. Many have praised “The Last Stylebender” for his exciting fighting style and his personality that fight fans have gravitated to.
Tyron Woodley Sees Major Star Appeal From Israel Adesanya
Woodley, who serves as a co-host on TMZ’s Hollywood Beatdown, expressed his belief that Adesanya can become the second-biggest UFC star in a short period of time (via MMAFighting.com).
“To be honest, I think Israel is going to evolve into a star right underneath Conor McGregor,” Woodley said on his TMZSports show, The Hollywood Beatdown. “It’s hard to deny him. He fights crazy, he has great I.Q., he’s tough, he’s shown he can take punches, he’s with the sh*t, he’s gonna talk sh*t in the press conferences, his entrance was the best entrance we’ve ever seen in mixed martial arts – even when freaking Conor had a live music playing in the top, it superseded that in my opinion – [and] he’s getting better with time.”
Woodley went on to say that it’s easy to see why Adesanya is gaining popularity.
“For me, I like fights that excite me,” Woodley said. “For me it’s like a respect thing, so if I can get in front of somebody like Carlos Condit or Robbie Lawler back in those days, that sh*t pumped me up. Israel is that guy. I know talent from a mile away, I know star power from a mile away. He, in the next two years, will be right underneath Conor McGregor.”
Adesanya’s first title defense hasn’t been made official, but all signs point to Paulo Costa. The Brazilian bruiser was in attendance for Adesanya’s clash with Whittaker. After the fight, Adesanya called Costa an “overly inflated balloon animal.”
Do you agree with Tyron Woodley predicting Israel Adesanya’s high star power?
