UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya’s entrance at last night’s UFC 276 pay-per-view proved very familiar for wrestling fans.
‘The Last Stylebender’, widely regarded as the most skilled striker in the UFC today, came out to The Undertaker’s theme, even sporting his signature hat and carrying an urn.
Israel Adesanya’s over-the-top arrival for his main event clash with Jared Cannonier drew a positive response from the Las Vegas crowd.
Among the fight fans in attendance were none other than Pat McAfee, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Vince McMahon. McAfee was notably wearing a neck brace following the assault he suffered earlier that night at the hands of Happy Corbin after Money in the Bank went off the air.
Israel Adesanya is one of the UFC’s biggest stars and has dominated the middleweight division for years. This is far from the first time he has referenced his fondness for professional wrestling.
After defeating the legendary Anderson Silva at UFC 234, Adesanya famously quoted Hulk Hogan in his post-fight speech. He also jokingly performed iconic manoeuvres from the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock at an open training session prior to the bout.
UFC 276 took place on the same night as this year’s Money in the Bank event. Both shows boasted some surprising results. For WWE, nothing was more shocking than Theory storming into the main event and ultimately enjoying a selfie with his newly won briefcase.
Many had expected Riddle to secure the victory after his dramatic defeat against Roman Reigns on a recent edition of SmackDown. The loss ruled the ‘King of Bros’ out of contention for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship so long as ‘The Tribal Chief’ holds onto it.
Instead, in a surprising late-in-the-show change-up, Theory was added to the men’s Money in the Bank bout after losing to popular RAW babyface Bobby Lashley earlier on in the show.
Needless to say, UFC 276‘s main event was a considerably more conventional affair.