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UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and former middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya were present cage-side at the T-Mobile Arena at UFC 317. Aspinall captured Adesanya's live reaction to Ilia Topuria's vicious Round 1 knockout of Charles Oliveira in the main event.
Adesanya has not returned to action since his knockout loss against Nassourdine Imavov earlier this year. There is no official confirmation regarding his next fight; however, the New Zealander has teased a potential rematch against Sean Strickland.
'The Last Stylebender' was in attendance to support his fellow countryman Kai Kara-France, who faced Alexandre Pantoja in the co-main event for the flyweight championship. However, to Adesanya's disappointment, the Kiwi suffered a submission loss in Round 2.
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Aspinall shared the reaction footage on his YouTube channel. The Englishman captured the exact moment when 'El Matador' delivered the knockout blow, and the crowd erupted in cheers and shock. The 32-year-old also captured Adesanya's reaction, who was visibly stunned after witnessing the early knockout.
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Check out Israel Adesanya's reaction below (8:19):
Israel Adesanya advises Tom Aspinall to treat next fight as title defense
Israel Adesanya and Tom Aspinall shared a wholesome moment during their time together at UFC 317.
Aspinall captured the interim belt in 2023 and waited for the title unification bout against Jon Jones to materialize ever since. Aspinall's dream was finally fulfilled after 'Bones' announced his retirement and the Brit was crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Adesanya told Aspinall to treat his next bout as a legitimate title defense and insisted that the interim strap is worth something.
"The interim title means something. If [Robert Whittaker] had beaten me, it would count as a defense for him. When you beat [someone] and defend your belt, it's a defense. Never let them take that away from you."
Check out the post below:
