[ad_1]
Since the late great Muhammad Ali, blatant self-promotion has been part of the fabric of combat sports.
And while world mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Israel Adesanya has made no comparison between himself and Ali, the reigning New Zealand athlete of the year is not afraid to express his confidence.
When asked recently if he thought the UFC could be bigger than the country’s national team, Adesanya did nothing in his answer.
“I don’t really care, to be honest. But I know that if you put it on the world stage, myself as Israel Adesanya ‘The Last Stylebender’ I’m bigger than the All Blacks, like the whole world.
“Not definitely in New Zealand … but yes around the world, around the world, around the country, I definitely have more of a presence than the All Blacks.”
Whether you agree or not depends on the measurements you use.
But there was no denying that it caught people’s attention.
Combat sports commentator Mike Angove is a member of Adesanya’s coaching team at Auckland’s City Kickboxing Gym, and he believed the die-hard All Blacks fans who jumped in to dismiss the comment missed the context in which it was made.
“A lot of people who got a little salty about it started counting on 100 years of heritage and branding and all that other stuff.
“What he was talking about was his global presence and name recognition, right now.
“We’re talking about you need massive security details to avoid being crushed by the swell of people who are walking, it is almost a mania in certain countries.”
Angove said Adesanya was not alone.
“Other athletes like Steven Adam and Scott Dixon, who are involved in big sports that have a much bigger footprint than rugby, are probably bigger names too.
“We should not [hide] ourselves from that fact or feel so protective of the All Blacks. “
The UFC’s worldwide popularity has continued to rise in recent years, and its events are now broadcast to 156 countries in 29 different languages.
Despite that growth, AUT senior professor and sports marketing expert Marilyn Giroux still believed that the All Blacks were a bigger global name.
“It’s a mix of being one of the best undefeated teams in terms of performance, but also the whole ritual around the haka and this aspect of being a little different.
“Insurance, [Israel] has a very strong presence on social media. So if we look at it from that perspective, maybe it’s attracting the younger generation of people.
“UFC and MMA are definitely reaching more young people.”
Israel Adesanya delivers his acceptance speech after winning New Zealand’s 2019 Halberg Athlete of the Year Award.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga / Photosport
That social media presence included nearly 2.8 million followers on Instagram to the 1.7 million All Blacks.
Giroux said that certainly wasn’t hurting Adesanya’s cause, adding that the rabid nature of MMA fans was also a major factor.
“This audience is quite intense in terms of how much they love sports and how much they follow athletes and interact, and that’s perhaps the least of rugby.
“In that sense, yes, in the future he could become, if the UFC continues to rise and remain the champion, a world celebrity.”
Driving the highest Adesanya star was his place in one of the largest and most important markets in the world.
ESPN host and UFC reporter Phil Murphy has followed the Nigerian-born Kiwi’s progress since he first encountered it in a Florida gym in early 2015.
Murphy said Adesanya was definitely making her mark in America.
“He’s riding this wave of momentum and spectacle and must be seen on TV, you don’t want to miss what he’ll do next.
“His ability to handle the spotlight and you see it in any sport, some people have it, some don’t.
“He has it and actually accepts it and leans into it. That’s what gets people outside of the MMA bubble talking.”
Murphy said it’s not just an undefeated record, unique skill set, and aesthetically pleasing style that made Adesanya popular.
“The ‘it’ factor is very difficult to define, but when you look at the A-list stars of the last decade in mixed martial arts, there is a measure of unpredictability in them and, obviously, a high level of athleticism.
“But there is also this authenticity, it is not forced, it is not fabricated, you feel that when the cameras go off, Israel is the same person.”
And it was there, where the All Blacks may be losing ground.
That was according to former New Zealand Maori representative and Super Rugby champion, Sky Sport expert Joe Wheeler.
“When you ask guys questions, especially the All Blacks, they come up with a pretty political answer, which may not even be their own thoughts. They just don’t want click bait.
“While it is comforting to hear Israel talk about anything because he is so cheeky and so honest and says what he believes.
“What you can see with him is that he is loved all over the world, probably because of the way he acts, talks and presents himself in the media. He does a lot of good for his brand.
“Love him or hate him, he still has three million followers on Instagram alone, so that’s saying something.”
Israel Adesanya celebrates winning the UFC world middleweight title.
Photo: Photosport
Wheeler said it was frustrating that rugby sometimes couldn’t understand that publicity was good for the game.
He used the example of a talented young gamer to highlight where a cheat was missing in the code.
“He will be protected from being released to the media every week and having a very big head.
“He also looks at a lot of those senior players and how they deliver, what they say and there is probably an expectation and an understanding that this is how you do it.”
“When you go through your media training, they don’t say be open and honest, they say don’t give them too much information, just give them what they need.”
It was a mindset that showed that while the All Blacks were undoubtedly a big name, there was significant room for growth.
The same happened with Adesanya.
ESPN’s Phil Murphy said it was hard to overstate where the namesake “Last Stylebender” could go with an impressive defense of his UFC middleweight belt against Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa later this month.
“If he does that, we’re probably talking about the next A-list superstar, and I’m not even talking in the sports sense.
“That’s what the UFC is starving to add to its roster without Conor McGregor actively fighting.”
It’s a great company to keep, and Israel Adesanya insists it’s still far from over.
