Israel Adesanya trash talk awkwardly backfires. Video / ESPN MMA
Warning: Graphic language
Oops. There's no doubt Israel Adesanya has the gift of the gab, but even the best slip up occasionally.
The new UFC middleweight champion made a hilarious gaffe while discussing potential future opponent Jon Jones in an appearance on ESPN this week.
Jones had responded to Adesanya'sdeclaration they'd fight at Raiders Stadium in Las Vegas in 2021 by tweeting: "By the time this kid gets his confidence together I'll probably already be in the heavyweight division. I don't need to wait till 2021 to start believing in myself."
After ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani read him the tweet, Adesanya's attempt to return serve went horribly wrong, reports news.com.au.
"You saw what I did this weekend, right? You know what confidence is? My confidence? Get my confidence? Get your f***ing nuts out my mouth," Adesanya said.
"S***, I said that the wrong way. F***! Re-do (laughs). I was trying to say get MY nuts out YOUR mouth."
Israel Adesanya's victory over Robert Whittaker has made him the hottest property in the UFC. Photo / Getty
Adesanya saved some blushes by quickly copping to the error before describing why Jones, who he said could never pull off the incredible entrance and Octagon performance he did at UFC 243 against Robert Whittaker, was criticising him.
"This is guy is trying to force my hand. I'm not stupid. It's not about 'I'm not confident', trust my I'll f*** this motherf***** up when I fight him," Adesanya said.
"I just have to do what I have to do. I have to defend my belt … There's three or four more killers I have to f*** up at middleweight first and then I'll move up in weight …
"He's just trying to take my moment. He can't even f*** with me right now. Look at me! Who is the new face of the UFC? You think Jon Jones could ever pull some s*** like that? I saw him with that bulls*** Nelly entrance when he did the electric slide (Jones' entered to Nelly's Hot in Herre and copied NFL star Ray Lewis' entrance at UFC 172 in Baltimore) … this ain't the same person.
"He is jealous. He sees the freshmen that is taking all the shine. He sees the new dog in the yard. He's intimidated, he's jealous."
Jones was quick to pounce. "All I hear is 'I'm a b****, I dance better than Jones'," he tweeted. "Oh and some weird s*** about big American balls in your mouth."
Israel Adesanya celebrates his victory over Robert Whittaker in Melbourne. Photo / Getty
Adesanya admitted his daring pre-fight dance routine carried high risk. "If I didn't (win), if I came off like that, super confident, and didn't pull it off, I'm going to be the butt of all jokes. I'm going to be the laughing stock of the world," he said.
"I was like, 'This is my f***ing show, it's a stadium show. There's going to be 50,000-plus. I'm going to do this my way or no way. I already knew I had to get this done my way or I'm not going to stay true to myself. It's not going to be me authentically expressing myself, so on Wednesday, I told (lifelong friends) Jesse and Jay, 'Let's get this done,' and we made it happen.
"It's cool that for me to launch into the cage, I have people who have known me for years who know (at) my core that I'm an entertainer, and they helped me set the tone and have fun."
"I said it all week: Pressure is an acquired taste," he added. "And I eat that s*** for breakfast. It's delicious."
