Born poor in Laos, lived in the refugee camp in Thailand and lived in the projects here in the United States don't determine my path. Some of hose difficulties and hardships made me stronger as a person so this guy's humbleness speaks volume:
A humble Israel Adesanya reveals his true character after failed pursuit of glory
There were the 20 consecutive wins, the interim title after 14 months in the UFC, the triumphant knockout victory over his arch-rival before more than 50,000 fans in a stadium he once watched fights from in the upper deck, and so much more.
In some ways, though, this was Israel Adesanya’s finest hour.
The UFC middleweight champion came up short in his bid to become just the fifth double champ in the promotion’s history when he dropped a unanimous decision to Jan Blachowicz on Saturday in their match for the light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 259 at Apex.
But Adesanya showed his peers how it is done, even in a losing effort. Perhaps it should be said, he showed how it should be done particularly following a losing effort.
He tried to make history and left the comfort of a weight class he reigns with an iron fist. There is no middleweight fight to make now in which he wouldn’t be a significant favorite. But he took a risk, moved up a class, and tried to capture a second title.
It wasn’t to be, as Blachowicz had a tight defense and didn’t allow Adesanya’s counter strikes to dictate the bout as they had so often in the past.
He offered no excuses and noted that although he entered the bout 20-0 as an MMA fighter, he has experienced defeat before.
“I’ve lost before,” Adesanya said. “I’ve lost in kickboxing. I’ve lost in boxing. I lost in life and I’ve lost in love. You don’t win all the time. I’m still here. My team’s still here. They still love me. My family loves me.”
He offered no excuses and noted that although he entered the bout 20-0 as an MMA fighter, he has experienced defeat before.
“I’ve lost before,” Adesanya said. “I’ve lost in kickboxing. I’ve lost in boxing. I lost in life and I’ve lost in love. You don’t win all the time. I’m still here. My team’s still here. They still love me. My family loves me.”
He didn’t have the explosion that he normally has, though Blachowicz definitely played a role in that. He tried to lure Blachowicz into his traps that he’s caught and finished so many of his opponents before, but either Blachowicz was wise to them and didn’t bite or Adesanya wasn’t on point with his shots.
Still, he captivated the media in the post-fight with his insistence that not only was he not devastated by the defeat but that he’ll be back at light heavyweight and heavyweight.
No fighter has ever taken a defeat in a major fight as well as Adesanya did on Saturday.
“The boxing model has made it a bad thing to lose,” Adesanya said. “It sucks to lose, but it’s not like it’s the end of the world. I’ve lost before. I’m excited to get back and work on the details. ... He had an answer tonight for the things I was throwing at him.”
“I could have won this fight,” Adesanya said. “... I’m not heartbroken and I’m not over here saying, ‘Oh my God, f***, he embarrassed me. ... This is a dip in my story, the valley, if you will, before I rise up again like the phoenix that I am.”
Topic: Agreed: “Sometimes the hardest things in life are what make you the strongest” (Read 151 times)