“He’s a dangerous man” – Israel Adesanya acknowledges threat from Yoel Romero but isn’t afraid of challenge

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

Israel Adesanya defends his UFC Middleweight title against veteran Yoel Romero at UFC 248

Nigerian-New Zealand UFC star Israel Adesanya was confident of his chances of keeping his Middleweight title against Yoel Romero at UFC 248.

Israel Adesanya UFC 248
Israel Adesanya talks during a press conference for UFC 248 (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The 30-year-old Adesanya won the belt at UFC 236 and has been on a tear in the UFC. Adesanya is 18-0 in his MMA career and spoke about the upcoming clash after an open workout session.

The 30-year-old first claimed that he wanted to make the division great. He was asked if Romero was the toughest challenge yet:

“Definitely, I mean there’s a reason I called him out. He doesn’t deserve this fight, not even close. But he’s a dangerous man.

“He’s a guy that in this era everyone runs away from. I’m a guy that if I see people running from something, I’m like ‘Why you running away?’”.

Romero is one of the most experienced UFC fighters out there and is coming off two losses. Adesanya claimed his challenger is human and the media actually made him much bigger than he is:

“I’ve seen him get hurt, I’ve seen him get tired many times. Every fight, he gets tired, so he’s human for everyone.

“The way you [media] perpetuate him is all ‘He’s made out of steel’.”

Incredible immunity

While the clash against Romero would be a physical affair, Adesanya highlighted that he wasn’t all that afraid of the coronavirus as his immune system had been hit hard in the past.

Yoel Romero
Yoel Romero talks to the media during the UFC 205 Ultimate Media Day (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Nigerian claimed he had malaria eight times during his childhood in Nigeria and that made him stronger.

One of his Adesanya’s walls was splattered with red dots during his childhood. This was done after he smashed several mosquitoes on the wall during his time in Nigeria.

Israel Adesanya UFC
Israel Adesanya at the ISPS Handa Halberg Awards on February 13, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images)

The 30-year-old did look confident ahead of the fight, and it will be interesting to see how UFC 248 goes.

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