Israel Adesanya gets motivation from Alexander Volkanovski’s UFC 333 win: ‘Just let me bang’

Israel Adesanya loved seeing his teammate dominating once again on Saturday.

‘The Last Stylebender’ watched from home as Alexander Volkanovski entered the Octagon for another title defense in the UFC 333 main event.

The Australian continued his second reign on the featherweight throne in style, with Volkanovski finishing Movsar Evloev in round two to hand the Russian his very first loss in pro MMA.

Adesanya was elated to see his fellow Oceanic star emerge victorious, and he appears more motivated than ever to secure a similar result himself after three years without a win.

Having previously had some sessions together at City Kickboxing, Adesanya was seen training with Volkanovski’s team in Sydney after recently leaving the gym in Auckland.

The Nigerian-New Zealander is searching for anything that can boost his chances of a return to winning ways, having lost four straight fights since he knocked out Alex Pereira in April 2023.

Adesanya is reportedly headlining UFC Saudi Arabia against Shara Magomedov this December. And after seeing Volkanovski deliver another iconic performance and roar in celebration, ‘The Last Stylebender’ is itching to get back in there himself.

“Let’s go, Volk! Let’s go, Volk,” Adesanya exclaimed during a reaction video uploaded to his YouTube channel as Volkanovski pounded Evloev with punches to secure the finish at UFC 333.

“The f—— best ever! F— yeah. Legend. It’s legendary. All levels. Look at that. It (the finish) was early, I thought it was gonna be like round four.

“Look at him, just the blood,” he continued, watching a replay of the champ celebrating and thinking about his own chance to win inside the Octagon later this year. “I can’t wait. Let me bang, bro. Just let me bang, bro.”

There is some doubt about Adesanya’s return date, given the ongoing hostile situation in the Middle East.

Plans to have the bout with Magomedov headline in Riyadh on December 5 could fall apart due to the conflict in the region. Saudi Arabia has been hit by a number of missile and drone attacks in recent weeks, some of which have targeted Riyadh’s international airport.