Israel Adesanya: Pressure is an Acquired Taste!

What do you think about that kid, Edmund Chibozian? I saw his fight. I didn't know who he was until I think it was Tim. I'm saying his last name right, right? Yeah. Until what's his name? Tim told me, like, oh shit, then I rewatched the fight. Did I see it live? I can't remember. Dude, he's 21 years old. And he had brides of eyes with a head kick and I kind of got my attention like, oh shit, who's this kid? He starched him with that right hand. And that's what I mean. He's at 185, he's 21. He's on the come up. He just beat. I played with Brad for five rounds. He starched him in one round. I'm not taking that lightly. I look at that kid. Eventually, when he comes up, I'm sure I'll see him at some point. But that's what I mean. I need to get back to work. Don't get me wrong. I understand. I'm working. I'm working. But I want to, you know, you know the FOMO. I feel like I feel country as well if I don't train. That is the thing of pressure. That is the thing of pressure of being a champion. You know, I'll never forget when BJ Penn choked out Matt Hughes to win the title in 170. And I was interviewing Matt in the Octagon. He was real honest about it. He goes, I want to be honest with you. This is a relief. He goes, the pressure, the pressure of all these guys coming after me for so long. He goes, I'm glad it's off my shoulder. They're not used to it. And that's why I said that about Robert. I said on record, like I said, he's not used to this. Pressure is an acquired taste. It's an acquired taste. Not everyone likes it. It's like caviar or a Gucci or some, you know, like exactly. People don't understand it. And for me, before the UFC, there's a hype, you know, I jump in the UFC, do my work, hype, hype, hype all the way through. And I said, I've been chopping this pressure for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's easy to me. The guy's been away the whole time. I've been running through the division. The time I've been clay, you know, like sticking my claim as a fucking champ. And he's not used to this pressure and your comeback fight. You want to come up in the biggest show against me. I wouldn't even if I was a coach, 16 months is too long to put a guy against me. And I said, he's not going to be used to it. And he said, oh, you know, I don't care. You know, this is a fellow as good as he thinks he is. I was like, all right, watch this. Well, the thing about the UFC is you don't get two and a half fights. No, they don't exist. That's why I said I'm going to I'm going to come here and ready because I know they're going to put me in the deep end. You're going to put me against the guy. So that's why me and you even had the plan. Like we've got to be ready for everyone. Yeah. To be honest, I'm glad it happened the way it happened. I'm glad I didn't rush and people were like, oh, well, you're not the youngest champion. You have history. I didn't want to be because if not, like I'm glad all this shit happened to me when I was 23 or 24 because I would have fucked up. Don't weigh with shit, you know, but I'm happy that I matured. I had my metamorphosis when I was 28 and that's when a shift happened for me. That's when I became trying to help a lot as well, like being away from my comfort zone, being in the mainland and excuse me. My man. Like China helped me get ready for all this because being a big black man in the mainland, they don't really see people like us all the time. Fighting in my first stadium show in China in front of 40,000 people, being mobbed in China, all that stuff. I just use it as reps. I was like, okay, this is all preparing me for this. This is all preparing me for the big time. So when this time comes, I got to be ready and I got to roll out. Do you have a very wise way of looking at the future? And I think that's what led you to getting therapy when you started feeling a little weird after your first fight. I mean, that's a very intelligent to seek help to try to figure out, okay, there's got to be a good way to handle this. And I need tools. And there's a stigma around it as well. Even when I mentioned that, I think I put it off. I put my on my Instagram story after my win against Robert Whitaker. I went to a therapist that Monday. The session was supposed to last maybe an hour and a half. We finished in 30 minutes because I saw her two weeks beforehand, the week of the fight. And then I saw her after the fight and literally was like, cool, I think we got what we needed. I'll see you if I need you again. But then people were like, oh, so brave. You know, you come out and you know, people with mental illness and oh my God, hashtag. I'm like, I'm not. Is it not everyone is mentally ill, but everyone has to look after the mental health. Yes, you don't. Then you will get sick. Just like your physical health. If you don't look at if I start eating shit, drinking all day, I'll get physically sick. So if you don't look after your mental health, then you're going to get mentally ill. Then they're going to put you in a straight jacket. Yes. And all that, you know, you don't want that. So for me, I just have to look after myself. I don't want to end up like 2007 Britney, you know, all crazy with them. You look good with your head shaved though. I think she looked all right. I would have smashed. That's awesome. I would have a that's a thing where you're dealing with a young person. And when you said about that, you're not the youngest ever champ, I don't think it's good. I don't think it's good to have that kind of un unqualified success at an not unqualified. You don't deserve it. But unprecedented at a young age like Tyson, like Mike Tyson, he'll talk openly about it. I mean, now you have you hung out with Mike. No, I was supposed to this week, but he's busy. So another time. Well, I look forward to it. Dude, let's do the hot box together. Happy. Yes. I mean, I'm in. He's a nice guy, man. And he's he's so philosophical about his past. Yeah. And the way he's very garbage. Yeah. Garbage. Yeah. I don't even like to think about what he doesn't like to even think about who he was. He doesn't like to work out because he doesn't want to bring that ego back. I think you see him with Francis and Ghana when he's ripping. Yeah, I know. You still got it. Got it. Listen, man. But he apparently he's going to train Francis. Yeah, he said. Yeah, that would be interesting. Apparently, Gypsy King is going to do MMA. I'd love to see it, man. If you can actually like once he gets that first leg kick, he's going to be like, what the fuck have I done? Well, get it before you get in the cage. I'll say that.