'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
MMA fans have been left divided after middleweight fighter Chris Curtis went after Israel Adesanya's "cringe" one-liner on Twitter. The middleweight champion attempted to shut down talk of Alex Pereira having the upper hand if the two were to fight in MMA.
'The Last Stylebender' said:
"This time when I put you [Pereira] on skates, I'm gonna leave you frozen like Elsa."
However, upon delivering the line at the UFC 276 pre-fight press conference, the comment evoked a mixed reaction. Fellow UFC middleweight Sean Strickland was visibly unimpressed while some fans cheered.
Watch the press conference clip below:
On Twitter, Chris Curtis deemed the line to be the "most cringe one-liner in a UFC press conference" and asked fans what they thought of Adesanya's comment:
"Ok guys, after a lot of thought I think Izzy's 'frozen like Elsa' line finally replaces Ken Shamrock's 'beat you into a living death line' as the most cringe one liner in a UFC press conference. Thoughts?"
Some fans agreed, but others also pointed out that many other fighters have delivered cringier one-liners in the past.
See the original tweet and fan comments here:
It's clear to see that Israel Adesanya's one-liner is a controversial topic amongst the MMA fanbase, with many of them coming up with their own choices for the cringiest line ever.
Some, including Curtis, mentioned the infamous Ken Shamrock one-liner when he faced Tito Ortiz. During the pre-fight press conference, Shamrock stated that he would "beat you (Ortiz) into a living death" when they fought. Ortiz laughed at the comment, causing Shamrock to kick a chair in anger, which added more awkwardness to the situation.
Watch the infamous one-liner here:
Why is there a rivalry between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira?
Both Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya had successful careers in kickboxing before transitioning into MMA. However, the UFC champion failed to beat Pereira twice, with one of those defeats coming via knockout.
Since the Brazilian signed for the UFC, many have wanted the two fighters to eventually meet again. Their wish may be granted, but this time, it will likely be for the UFC middleweight title and under MMA rules.
After Adesanya retained his middleweight belt against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276, he once again hinted at facing Alex Pereira for a third time. The two original bouts happened a long time ago in 2016 and 2017, so it'll be interesting to see how both fighters approach a potential third meeting.
As of right now, no fight between Adesanya and Pereira has been officially booked, meaning the Brazilian might have to wait a little longer before facing his rival again.
