Tinaye Agere
Kuda Chideme
On Sunday morning, the world – yes, even those of us who still don’t consider MMA (mixed martial arts) a sport – woke up to the news that Israel “Izzy” Adesanya had beaten Alex Pereira by KO (knockout), reclaiming the middleweight title at UFC 287.
Going into the match, Izzy had lost to the Brazilian three times – twice in kickboxing in 2016 and 2017, and at UFC 281 last November – but somehow the odds were still in his favour.
It appears the bookies knew something or they just had that much faith in him bouncing back.
After all, in sports, nothing sells better than a great comeback story.
The only other exciting storylines are that of an underdog upsetting the ranks or a champion losing it all.
With the latest win, Izzy’s career has gone through all three.
He started as that African immigrant who got bullied in school and decided to take martial arts class, and went on to dominate the Asian circuit of kickboxing, earning the title “The Black Dragon”.
It was no surprise that his last defeat to Pereira had excited the critics.
The only other thing that excites the sports media complex after creating superstars (yes? you guessed it right) is shredding them to pieces.
His emotional speech after the match on Sunday captured just how much the critics got to him.
The Black Dragon is human after all.
It also shows just what the win meant to him.
“You’ll never feel this level of happiness if you don’t go for something in your life. When they knock you down, if you stay down, you will never get that resolve.
“Fortify your mind and feel this level of happiness. I’m blessed to feel this again and again and again.”
Izzy’s win comes close in comparison to Tiger Woods infamous Masters win at Augusta in 2019, Russel Westbrook’s newfound form at the LA Clippers after the Lakers tossed him out, and, closer to home, Denver Mukamba’s impressive run at Dynamos this season after battling substance abuse.
Perhaps the most teachable lesson from Izzy’s story is how coming from nothing we can achieve dreams beyond our wildest imagination: lose it all, and with the right mental aptitude and resolve, fight again for redemption.
Online Reporter