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The best way to build up one’s star power, though, is to win, and the next person trying to hand Adesanya his first loss is Yoel Romero, an athlete as explosive as any on the roster. That reputation is why Adesanya was attracted to the bout, and when the two finally faced off in early February, he said it allowed him to break down any myths he might’ve had of the “Soldier of God.”
“I looked in his eyes, and I was like, ‘That’s just another dude,’” Adesanya said. “He’s a vet. He’s crafty. He’s built for battle. That’s something different about him. He’s built for battle. But he’s human. He bleeds, and I’ll make him bleed.”
Although his confidence is unwavering, the approach does alter a little bit, according to his coach Eugene Bareman.
The City Kickboxing boss said previous camps have used a lot of “war connotations or comparisons” when it came to the mental preparation. Against Whittaker, the idea circled around national pride, going into another country and taking what they believed was theirs. With the belt now in hand, that defending mentality requires a different frame of mind.
“We got to hold on it,” Bareman said. “Now, we’re drawing different kinds of imagery or different kinds of comparisons. Building a castle wall and defending it – it’s ours, and no one is coming in to take it.”