UFC: Dana White defends Israel Adesanya’s post-fight antics; blasts ‘sensitive crybabies’
- ‘This is the fight business, mean things are said and done,’ says UFC president of middleweight champ’s celebrations after Paulo Costa TKO
- ‘When you have the amount of bad blood and smack talk they did, you either shake hands and squash it or do what Israel did’
While UFC champion Israel Adesanya’s effortless TKO against Paulo Costa left many onlookers aghast at UFC 253 last week, the Kiwi-Nigerian’s immediate post-victory antics almost stole the show completely.
Almost two years of relentless back-and-forth barbs culminated in a moment where “The Last Stylebender” sealed the fight with a torrent of blows from the back and gave his nemesis a few demoralising parting “humps”.
But as far as UFC president Dana White is concerned, that’s simply the nature of the game.
“I tend to take heat for stuff like this, especially in this crybaby sensitive-type world we live in right now,” White told SCMP MMA. “This is the fight business – mean things are said, mean things are done. This is a tough business and if you can’t handle this business, then you shouldn’t be covering it.”
While Adesanya’s huge and rapidly-growing fan base revelled in the act, it certainly had its fair share of detractors, including UFC commentator Dan Hardy, who labelled it “crass” and “unnecessary”.
After having had a chance to watch the fight, Costa was left incensed, immediately demanding a rematch against “human trash” Adesanya.
