Israel Adesanya has become one of the biggest superstars in combat sports today. In just a matter of four years “Last Stylebender” has produced an undefeated 11-0 record in the UFC’s middleweight division, claimed the undisputed middleweight strap, and racked off four-straight dominant title defenses.
Adesanya, 32, has years of dominance ahead of him and that’s why UFC just inked him to a highly-lucrative contract. He’ll be competing inside of the Octagon for the foreseeable future and try to catch the great Anderson Silva to become the greatest middleweight in UFC history. It’s going to take some time and additional title defenses, but Adesanya is sitting pretty right about now.
That said, “Last Stylebender” isn’t satisfied. He’s always reaching for the stars — evident by his failed attempt to capture the UFC’s light heavyweight title back in 2021 — and never seems complacent about his results inside of the cage or his training outside it. Adesanya is also the type of fighter who likes to push the envelope and broaden his horizons, which is why the UFC champion is interested in a potential crossover to professional wrestling before it’s all said and done.
“I looked up to those guys as a kid. I used to jump off the couch armrest and backflip onto David [his camera guy],” said Adesanya in a recent interview with talkSPORT.
“I broke my arm a couple of times. We was taking bumps back in the day [laughs]. But definitely I will do that before I’m done.
“You might just see me sneak up from under the ring one day like ‘what the f***!’ That’s not Hornswoggle!’
Of course, Adesanya’s crossover dream would be to compete under the bright lights of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which has provided a home for former UFC superstars like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey. The premier wrestling organization also produced one of the most iconic sports personas of all time: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Adesanya recently had the pleasure to meet The Rock and it absolutely blew him away.
“The Rock, that will take a few meetings to go away. I still get starstruck by him, but I’m cool. I’m not going to like jump him or anything,” Adesanya said.
“Even with Joe Rogan, when I first met Joe I was starstruck. It probably took two or three interactions until you humanise them to you.
“But The Rock will take a while to go away because it’s still The Rock!”
What say you, Maniacs? Do you think Adesanya would do well in WWE? Should he be thinking about a potential crossover or just focused on defending his UFC title?
Sound off!