He may be UFC middleweight champion, but Israel Adesanya reacted just like any pro wrestling fan would when he saw Booker T.

Last Saturday night at UFC 271, Israel Adesanya managed to defeat Robert Whittaker via unanimous decision to successfully retain his UFC middleweight title. “The Last Stylebender” faced far more adversity than he did in their first meeting back at UFC 243 but in the end, he just about did enough in the eyes of the judges to get the nod.

After the fight, Adesanya spoke to the media in the post-fight press conference about all thing related to the events of the evening – but before he could answer one of the first few questions, he spotted former WWE & WCW star Booker T in the crowd.

“Yeah – is that Booker T? Five time, five time, five time, five time, five time UFC f***ing champion. I was like ‘is that Booker T, what the f***?’. Holy s***. Sorry, just being a fan! What the f*** [laughs], ah s***, my man. Respect to you bro.”

For MMA fans who may not look upon pro wrestling as their first love, Booker T is best known for his incredible run in WCW that saw him win the world title on five separate occasions. After the takeover, he jumped ship to WWE before also enjoying a successful stint in TNA.

Booker is originally from Houston and would’ve enjoyed the action at UFC 271, whereas Adesanya’s fandom has been well documented after footage was released a few years ago of him imitating the 56-year-old’s iconic Spinaroonie move.

Were you a fan of Booker T in his WWE, WCW or TNA days? What do you think of Israel Adesanya’s love for professional wrestling? Will he ever transition over into the squared circle? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!