LAS VEGAS – Israel Adesanya remembers a few years back at Madison Square Garden. He knew before anyone else did.
That night, Adesanya (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) met the man who eventually turned out to be his UFC 276 opponent, Jared Cannonier (15-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC). The two were cordial and Adesanya promised they’d meet eventually. He’d seen Cannonier fight before. There were a couple of special traits that shined through.
“Spirit, if I’m being honest. His fighting spirit and his essence,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I recognize that because I’m an empath myself. I can kind of feel the energy from a great man and a great fighter. Yeah, I like to take care of these guys. I call out all the greats. I saw that early on in him before all you guys did. I try to boost him up. He fell short once and then came back and proved his worth as the next contender.”
