It never ceases to amaze me how bottom of the barrel the MMA community can go. Israel Adesanya's latest Tweet proved we can go lower than I ever thought before. The former middleweight champion has posted a video of Adolf Hitler dancing on a stage in front of thousands of people. The video was caption alluding to his potential UFC 305 walk-out.
This is one of many controversial remarks Adesanya has made over the years. He's also been blasted for referring to the Twin Towers and 9/11 in his trash talk as well as for simulating anal sex on his opponent mid fight. He was under fire an alleged dog controversy that's too disgusting to even mention as well as making comments about rape.
Reporters:
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) June 18, 2024
“Do U hAs A sPeCIaL EnTranCe 4 dIs OnE??”
ME: 🙄 pic.twitter.com/eN8fkiud2M
Using the image of Hitler who was the ring leader for the killing of over six million jews during the Holocaust is beyond reprehensible and it's clear that Adesanya hasn't learned from any of his past mistakes as he keeps on making them.
Israel Adesanya's got slammed by fans for insensitive Hitler video
Yes, I know this is MMA and trash talking and fight promotion can sometimes get ruthless, but this is not that. There's literally no reason Adesanya needed to tweet this in the first place. And I'm not alone in feeling incredibly bothered by the tweet, several fans commented things like "This ain’t it" and "BRO WHAT" under the tweet.
Disney/ESPN execs: Alright guys it’s day 1 of the DDP vs Adesanya build up, let’s make it a good one-
— OOC MMA (@oocmma) June 18, 2024
Israel Adesanya: https://t.co/aeLkdaStoP
https://t.co/zqUp7UJol2 pic.twitter.com/8dmNlt1lPY
— Josh Evanoff (@JoshEvanoff) June 18, 2024
https://t.co/lW0sWqIWNm pic.twitter.com/PyetLFipKf
— Nicky Laij(er) (@NikoUrpalainen) June 18, 2024
Unfortunately though there were several fans who applauded Adesanya for his tweet ans that's the most depressing of them all. This community has become more and more toxic by the day. If we ever hope to make UFC as mainstream as the NFL and soccer, we need to clean up the way our athletes are acting online. There are lines to be drawn and someone has to set them, and them hold them to it. Until then, things like this will become more common and get worse.
Adesanya will be returing to the Octagon for the first time since he lost his title to Sean Strickland in 2023. He took a break from the sport and returns to fight his former foe, Dricus Du Plessis who dethroned Strickland. The fight takes place on Aug. 17 in Perth, Australia.