Israel Adesanya had WWE fans cheering for him at UFC 276 after he walked out to The Undertaker’s legendary theme song on his way to fight Jared Cannonier in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event before eventually defeating “Killa Gorilla” via unanimous decision (watch highlights).
While Adesanya’s performance wasn’t the best of his career, his unique walkout — which has become a staple of “The Last Stylebender” to do something different each time — was up there with the all-time greats.
Watch it here:
That Israel Adesanya walkout tho.... ⚱️pic.twitter.com/yhKl7807QA
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 3, 2022
So what inspired Adesanya to pay homage to the now-retired WWE Superstar? It’s all because he’s been a fan of WWE and professional wrestling for as long as he can remember. In fact, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion recently revealed that he will definitely try his hand at professional wrestling sometime down the road.
“Definitely, that’s something I’ll try my hand at later on,” Adesanya said told BT Sport after his win (via MMA Junkie). “Just for fun. I’m not saying it’s going to be a full-time job, but I’m definitely going to jump in the WWE, or something along that line, just for the entertainment factor.”
The Undertaker gave Adesanya his seal of approval, and Izzy’s walkout just so happened to take place in front of none other than WWE head cheese, Vince McMahon, his daughter Stephanie and Triple H, all who were sitting cageside taking in the action.
Adesanya definitely has the personality and charisma to be a WWE star, but it seems he is only interested in a one-off opportunity and won’t look to make it a full-time gig like Ronda Rousey and other former UFC/MMA fighters before him have done.
For now, “The Last Stylebender” will continue his dominance over UFC's Middleweight division, with his next challenge likely coming against his kickboxing rival, Alex Pereira, who knocked out Sean Strickland in impressive fashion to shoot up the rankings and earn a shot at the title.
For complete UFC 276 results and live play-by-play click here. To check out the latest and greatest UFC 276: “Adesanya vs. Cannonier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
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