UFC veteran lauds Israel Adesanya crossing out the Monster logo

Israel Adesanya picked up one of the biggest victories of his career this past weekend at UFC 287. He finally avenged his three losses to Alex Pereira by knocking him out, reclaiming the UFC middleweight title in the process.

After Israel Adesanya’s big win over Alex Pereira, ‘The Last Stylebender’ celebrated wildly. First, he mocked Pereira by simulating firing three arrows into him.

From there, he launched into a pretty hyped-up post-fight promo, wishing that everyone in the crowd could feel the same level of happiness that he was feeling just once.

One of the more talked-about parts of Adesanya’s celebration, though, initially seemed to go under the radar. After knocking Pereira out, ‘The Last Stylebender’ strutted over to the octagon’s Monster Energy logo, drew a cross sign over it, and then flipped it off.

The reason for this has been speculated on ever since. The most logical explanation would appear to be the reported beef that Adesanya has with Monster Energy employee Hans Molenkamp.

According to reports, Molenkamp has been accused of abusing his position within the company to decide which UFC fighters should be sponsored by the energy drink based on his own self-promotion.

Dominick Cruz appeared to be the main complainant in these reports, but Adesanya was also seen throwing away a Monster Energy can during a UFC 243 press conference, a video that he then posted to his Twitter.

Others, though, have looked deeper into the Monster Energy logo itself. They suggest that the logo represents three upside-down versions of the Hebrew symbol ‘vav’, meaning six, meaning the logo would actually read ‘666’, representing Satan.

One of those people is UFC legend Diego Sanchez. He took to Instagram this morning to post a video of Adesanya’s actions, praising ‘The Last Stylebender’ hugely:

“Most people don’t see the upside down 666 on the @monsterenergy drink can! @stylebender that is the most legendary thing any ufc fighter has done ever done in the ufc octagon #respectandcongrats”

Sanchez, who has not fought in the UFC since 2020, has long been renowned for his strong Christian views. In a 2012 fight with Jake Ellenberger, he was seen carrying a large cross to the octagon with him, a symbol of his beliefs.

Whether Israel Adesanya shares his beliefs or whether there is a more simple explanation for his issues with Monster Energy is unknown.

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Who sponsors Israel Adesanya for his fights in the UFC?

While Monster Energy is perhaps the best-known sponsor of the UFC itself, the company does not seem to be one of Israel Adesanya’s main individual sponsors.

Prior to UFC 287, it was reported that Israel Adesanya, who has a net worth of around $6m, can call upon sportswear brand Puma as his primary sponsor. ‘The Last Stylebender’ became the first MMA fighter to receive Puma’s endorsement back in 2020.

That year also saw Adesanya partner with the famous video game ‘Call of Duty’ and Engage clothing for some exclusive merchandise, too.