What happened last night between Yoel Romero and Israel Adesanya is enough to sour hard-core MMA heads who used to clutch the edge of sweat-drenched couches as David Tank Abbott, Frank Shamrock, Don Frye and Dan Severn barreled down ‘pon opponents in no-holds barred contests that left hearts aflutter and jaws on floors – the effect being the same whether one caught the fight live or off dog-eared VHS copies passed from fan to fervid van. This, damas y caballeros, was the primal effect of cage fighting as an adrenaline drug at near 100% proof.
UFC 248 twixt Yoel Romero and Israel Adesanya (March 7, 2020, Dateline Las Vegas, NV) was anything but – but not because of Romero, not because of Romero, because Romero was not the talker for starters and besides, Romero will be Romero, just like Anderson Silva will be Anderson Silva, stage antics, boos and all. (REASONING: OGs who have crafted certain fight personas have the street and stage creds to be themselves, maintenance-man butt-cracks and all. Why? Because they have earned it, that’s why.)
Notice how this exception excludes new noobs like Israel Adesanya who ostensibly volunteer to fight flesh-n-blood monsters like Yoel and talk up a big game about slaying monsters and building unimpeachable creds and legacies and then fail to deliver promptly.
Fear of Being Street Mugged: Mark me words and bookmark this post; Israel Adesanya, or his pro and PR credibility rather, will never be the same after this fight. His image and machinations will, from now on, have an atavistic whiff of contrivance, artifice and disingenuousness – not exactly a headline making revelation in a sport which, like its sibling (boxing), thrives on asshollery, cant, sophistry, deception and marketing legerdemain, but it does bear mentioning in passing.
Yoel Romero is feared and renowned for having broken Weidman, Rockhold and Whittaker’s bodies. Israel pretended like this didn’t matter to him until his time came and he ran like a bladerunner, but not fast enough to not have his reputation and street creds broken – the same which on the street are valued more than blingy belts because “respeck” matters more.
Meal Tickets, Monster Blows and Monster Fears: The Israel Adesanya/Yoel Romero story at UFC 248 – This shot captures the Romero smoke that Adesanya wanted none of after that ominous exchange in the first round. But even before that Israel was as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof. He just wouldn’t advance or engage and when Romero advanced, Adesanya was seen to retreat and circle. In some ways, being challenged and buckling on a well lighted stage was worse for Adesanya than being knocked out for Adesanya, especially after all that trash talk. Bottomline is Israel became very, very afraid of being street mugged. Pic Copyright: Getty Images
UFC 248 and the Unblinking Eye of Twitter: UFC Super Fan cutting through the crap and telling it like is reference the fight between Israle Adesanya and Yoel Romero.
From Last Style Bender to Blade Runner: After the first blow that had a sub-orbital bruised, Israel Adesanya fought scarred, circling and circling like his life depended on it ….. because it actually did. Soon after the monster blow from Romero, Israel Adesanya figuratively swapped out his mouthpiece for his meal ticket, cheeked it like chew and never spat it out as he intently contemplated on not losing what he already had; a darn good meal ticket. Fuck that legacy shit! Boy needs to eat!
“I did what I had to do, but cliche, I did what I had to do to win this fight.”
(Israel Adesanya, Post Romero Fight Interview with Joe Rogan)
Filed under: MMA, Uncategorized, fear of street mugging, incrucible.net, Israel Adesanya runs from Yoel Romero, MMA, UFC, UFC 248 - Adesanya vs Romero, UFC Super Fan - Twitter
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