Alex Pereira's coach shares one-word reaction to Israel Adesanya's heartwarming interaction with referee Marc Goddard

Alex Pereira's coach, Plinio Cruz, recently expressed his take on a respectful exchange between Israel Adesanya and referee Marc Goddard. It showcased Adesanya lauding Goddard for his conduct despite opposing it previously.

Adesanya's losing streak reached new lows after his defeat against Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. Despite having a successful initial round, Adesanya got knocked down to the canvas by a vicious straight right from 'The Sniper' early in the second round. The following barrage of grounded strikes from Imavov made Goddard intervene and end the fight after a few seconds.

'The Last Stylebender' exhibited immense frustration inside the octagon right after Goddard's stoppage as he believed he could have continued to fight. However, a recent Instagram post from Adesanya showcased that he now views Goddard's stoppage as a legitimate one. It highlighted the respectful backstage exchange between the two at the recently concluded UFC 312. Its caption read:

"Good stoppage, one of the best in the game 🫡"

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Besides several other fans, coach Cruz also took to the comments section to appreciate the wholesome exchange between Adesanya and Goddard:

"#respect 🙌"

Plinio Cruz's reaction to Israel Adesanya's Instagram post. [Screenshot courtesy: @stylebender on Instagram]

Israel Adesanya thanked Plinio Cruz for helping him and Alex Pereira understand each other

Most non-English-speaking UFC fighters use a translator during their octagon interviews. Alex Pereira also lacks the skills to communicate in English currently. But he doesn't require a translator as his coach, Plinio Cruz, handles this department apart from his coaching duties.

Israel Adesanya recently thanked Cruz for eliminating the language barrier between him and Pereira with his translation. Adesanya appeared at the post-UFC 312 press conference where he praised Cruz for making him and Pereira understandable to each other:

"Shout out to Plinio as well for being the bridge. Coz me and Alex kind of just sound like cavemen talking to each other, you know. Chama, no chama. Well, Plinio helps make me the bridge."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (6:12):

About the author

Souvik took up writing as his profession in 2019 and has worked for various publications, including EssentiallySports and The SportsRush since then.
While he holds a diploma in electrical engineering, Souvik’s love for combat sports and the written word has ensured a seamless transition to his current profession.
As of the UFC, Dustin Poirier is his favorite fighter. 'The Diamond's' respectful attitude in a trash-talk-heavy sport makes Souvik root for him. Poirier's five-round war against Dan Hooker in June 2020 is his all-time favorite MMA scrap to date.
Furthermore, he is of the opinion that MMA has taken over boxing as the world’s top combat sport due to the regularity of events.
Coming to his writing, Souvik will do everything to ensure that his pieces are informative and relevant, which is perhaps why one of his articles is still the most viewed in the MMA division of EssentiallySports.
Souvik’s other interests include singing (he’s a frontman for a rock band in Kolkata), playing guitar, and watching documentaries.

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Edited by Jigyanshushri Mahanta