Israel Adesanya has teased that he will one-day crossover into the world of professional wrestling.
‘The Last Stylebender’ has made a reputation in the UFC for being a bit of a showman. He’s since admitted that a lot of his style he gets from the WWF’s Attitude Era period of entertainment. That era was the most fruitful for professional wrestling, and it seemed that Adesanya has pulled some material from it.
Following his victory at UFC 271 over Robert Whittaker, he talked about his WWE influence. On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, he discussed his friendship with former WWE champion Booker T. He also noted that he wanted to be a wrestler at one point, and he still might.
“Those guys, I watched them and the way they owned the stage. It influences you, my presence has been influenced from watching years of the Attitude Era, WWE. I thought I was going to be a wrestler at one point. Still might, you never know.” – stated Israel Adesanya on The MMA Hour
Adesanya continued, “It was a childhood dream. Jumping off the branch of my bed onto my brother, me and brother and my sisters as well. Doing Stone Cold stunners and all that.”
If Israel Adesanya were to one-day crossover into the world of professional wrestling, he’d be far from the first. There are many former MMA fighters that have gone into the squared circle, and vice-versa.
The most notable recent example is likely Ronda Rousey. ‘Rowdy’ retired from MMA in 2018 and is now one of the top wrestlers in the WWE. Other recent crossovers from the cage to the ring include Paige Vanzant, Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, and Josh Barnett.
What do you think about Israel Adesanya potentially getting into the world of pro wrestling? Would you like to one day see him inside the WWE?