Confident Adesanya hits Las Vegas for battle against Blachowicz

He will make Nigerians proud, says father

Nigerian born, New Zealand-based UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, arrived in Las Vegas, U.S. beaming with confidence ahead of his battle against the light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz, at UFC 259, this weekend. A victory for the Nigerian will make him a two-weight world champion.

While Adesanya hails from Odogbolu, a community in Ogun State, his opponent, Jan Blachowicz, is a native of Cieszyn, a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River.

Israel’s father, Femi Adesanya, told The Guardian yesterday from his base in Auckland that the UFC middleweight king was in good shape for the battle of Las Vegas.

“Israel is battle-ready,” the senior Adesanya said. “He is already in Las Vegas and I am confident he will do us proud.”

Unlike in the past, when the senior Adesanya, his wife, and other members of his family were always present at the ringside, drumming support for their son, this weekend’s battle of Las Vegas will be different.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the family members have been watching Israel’s fight on television.

“We are not going to Las Vegas because spectators are not allowed at the event,” the senior Adesanya said in a message to The Guardian.

MEANWHILE, Paulo Costa has claimed he was drunk during his humiliating UFC 253 loss to Israel Adesanya.

Costa is claiming that a ‘sober Costa’ is still undefeated after insisting that he was feeling the effects of a bottle of wine on the eve of the fight.

The Brazilian, 29, entered his middleweight title bout with the champion having not suffered defeat in his 13 fights in mixed martial arts, presenting the biggest challenge to Adesanya to date.

Costa claimed he had encountered an issue before the bout, and clarified that the consumption of a bottle of wine to aid his sleep was the reason behind his lethargic display.

“I was a little drunk when I fought Adesanya. Maybe I had a little hangover,’ he admitted in a video on his own Youtube channel.

“It was my fault and I don’t blame anyone else for it. It was something I chose myself, but I had to sleep because I hadn’t done it in the last 24 hours.

“I drank wine. Lots of wine. A whole bottle of wine to fall asleep. I had one drink and it didn’t work. Two drinks and it didn’t work. Half the bottle and it didn’t work. And in the end, I drank it all.”