There hasn’t been much time for that these days, as he prepares for Saturday’s UFC 253 main event against Paulo Costa. It’s been all work, mainly in the City Kickboxing gym with his teammates and coaches, sequestered from the outside world as they prepare for battle. And when there’s no training, there are media obligations, photo shoots, staying on top of social media and doing the things stars do in this game.
It’s been a remarkable rise, Adesanya reaching this point of being an undisputed champion one fight before Conor McGregor achieved the feat in 2015. And though the Nigeria native believed this would all happen, even he’s surprised at how fast he made it to the top.
“Yeah, I expected it, but not this fast, to be honest,” he said. “I was probably about six months ahead of schedule.”
Six months. Well, maybe with the COVID-19 pandemic slowing the world down, Adesanya is right on time heading into his clash with Costa, the Brazilian powerhouse who has seemingly gotten under the champion’s skin, and vice versa. But according to Adesanya, Saturday night’s business is just that, business, not personal.
