Octagon superstar Israel Adesanya directs a VERY crude blowout at the Monster logo after a stunning knockout of Alex Pereira – and it’s not the first time he’s lashed out at the makers of the energy drink
- Israel Adesanya turns off the Monster Energy logo
- Adesanya has a history of disrespectful brand
- Monster Energy is a long-standing sponsor of UFC
Israel Adesanya raised eyebrows on Sunday by insulting one of the UFC’s biggest sponsors after stunningly beating longtime rival Alex Pereira in Miami.
‘The Last Stylebender’, 33, produced a brutal second-round knockout to seal victory over the Brazilian fighter at UFC 287 and take back the title he lost last year.
It was the fourth time the two middleweights had met, their second in the octagon, and it was Adesanya’s first time coming out on top.
After a wild celebration, Adesanya walked to the center of the Octagon for the result announcement, then walked over to the Monster Energy logo, the largest ad in the cage.
He then knelt over it and made the sign of the cross on the logo before flipping it over with both of his middle fingers.
Israel Adesanya raised eyebrows on Sunday by insulting one of the UFC’s biggest sponsors after stunningly beating his old rival Alex Pereira.
It’s also not the first time the middleweight king has expressed his distaste for Monster Energy.
Adesanya has gone to great lengths to remove the company’s products from UFC press conferences over the years.
After his fight with Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in Melbourne, he threw a can of Monster Energy off the table.
He later posted a clip of the incident on Twitter alongside the comment, “Something that can’t be bought. Like real friends, integrity or real skills.’
The Nigerian-born New Zealander has never directly explained what his beef with the company is all about, but he’s not the only fighter the UFC sponsor dislikes.
Former UFC champion Dominick Cruz once called out Monster Energy director Hans Molenkamp for a charity fight following his win at UFC 259.
Cruz alleged that Molenkamp is pressuring fighters to post photos and videos on social media of himself interacting with Molenkamp to gain “influence,” and if they refuse, threatens to take away their sponsorship money.
“If you try to force me, and you text me if I don’t comment on your page if I don’t give you an interview, that you’re going to take what pays my bills… what are we doing? Cruz said.
Adesanya has gone to great lengths to remove Monster’s products from UFC press conferences over the years
Former UFC champion Dominick Cruz (pictured with Dana White) once called out Monster Energy manager Hans Molenkamp for a charity fight following his win at UFC 259
“Monster sponsors me, not you. So this was a call because he calls himself a professional fighter. He’s got 100 pounds of weight on me and I’m like, we can make it a win-win situation. Let’s have a charity event. The monster chooses the charity and we scrap it.’
Monster has sponsored many fighters over the years, including Jon Jones, Rose Namajunas, and Stipe Miocic, and many of the athletes seem happy with the deals they have with the company.
UFC boss Dana White has had issues with Molenkamp in the past, but claims Monster is a great promotion sponsor.
‘Is Hans a weirdo? Yeah, he’s a very crazy dude,” White said after UFC 259.
“But they are a sponsor. These guys are a sponsor, they’re great sponsors, they pay these guys a lot of money.
“Monster is one of those companies that really, really cares for people and it’s their business. They can sponsor whoever they want, they can run their business the way they want.
“This is not like a work situation where you work for someone and you’re not happy with the way you’re being treated,” he continued. This is a sponsorship deal. These guys can spend their money and run their business however they want and no one is guaranteed money from a sponsor. It is a privilege to receive money from a sponsor.
“So if you don’t like the way they do business, don’t do business with them.”