However, as he stood waiting for the fifth round to begin, Adesanya revealed that he told himself that he was willing to die if that’s what it would take to beat Gastelum.

What made Israel Adesanya push his limits

Gastelum managed to hurt the ’last stylebender’ in the very first round and looked on the ascendency initially. However Israel Adesanya mounted a comeback by dropping Gastelum in the second round and continued his offence well into the third. Kelvin Gastelum then landed a head kick and followed it up with a barrage to win the fourth round.

As Israel Adesanya headed into the final and deciding round, he was seen mumbling something in his mother tongue which he later revealed, meant, ‘Heart of a Lion’. Israel Adesanya stated to Ariel Helwani-

Adesanya vs Gastelum will be a classic battle that won’t easily fade from the memory of UFC fans. It was also a glimpse into an Israel Adesanya that hadn’t been seen before. Now there was no doubt that apart from being a sniper on the feet, Izzy could certainly take a beating, hang in there and out-heart his opponents too.

Israel Adesanya pushed himself beyond limits and knocked down Gastelum thrice in the space of two minutes in the fifth round. About dishing out absolute carnage in the fifth round, Adesanya said -

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