Ahead of his fight against Poland’s Jan Blachowicz on Saturday, reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has revealed that he’s working towards becoming the greatest fighter in the history of the sport.
Adesanya (20-0) has been the UFC middleweight champion since October 2019. He has two successful title defenses. The Nigerian-born New Zealander ranked as the No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
On Saturday, Adesanya will try to become just the fifth fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes concurrently.
However, in an interview with ESPN, Adasanya stated that he’s determined to working towards becoming the greatest fighter in history.
“If I fought a guy that was 300 pounds, I could probably still beat him,” Adesanya said, adding that Blachowicz won’t be heavy enough for the result to be altered. “But there’s a problem if he grabs me and decides to pin on me.”
“When it’s all said and done, they’ll say that guy Issy, he’s the one. He’s the G.O.A.T.,” he said in the build-up to Saturday’s fight.
“I am the canvas,” Adesanya said. “I have a lot of artists that put a lot of work into me. I have to consider their feelings as well. When Eugene pitched the idea to me, I was like, ‘Hmm, you make sense.’
“Listen to my coaches, listen to my team and listen to the money. That’s the appeal to me.”
