When Israel Adesanya made his way to the ring to make his third successful Middleweight title defense last Saturday night, he paid a tribute to the gaming community. During his ring walk, Adesanya wore a half-face menpo mask—typically worn by samurai to protect their face and intimidate enemies—a nod toGhost of Tsushima. While Adesanya is well-known as an anime enthusiast, hisGhost of Tsushimatribute reveals another, less-talked-about passion.
While he has mentioned gaming a few times in the past, Adensaya’s strong passion for anime and manga has always managed to steal the headlines. He has started fights while standing in a stanceinspired by Rock Lee fromNaruto, he’s shown off his ability to form hand seals from the franchise, and even has the same stomach tattoo as the eponymous Naruto.
RELATED:Ghost of Tsushima Set the Gold Standard for Photo Mode
So, as he donned samurai-inspired attire, it could have been misconstrued as yet another tribute to his love for anime culture, but Adesanya himself admitted after the fight that it was a direct nod toGhost of Tsushima. In the same breath, he also admitted to have not finished the game yet, instead opting to finishcritically-acclaimedThe Last of Us 2first.
It’s also hard to ignore the music paired with his walkout. For his samurai-inspired ring walk, Adesanya chose to use “Somewhere I Belong” by Linkin Park. While Linkin Park may seem at first an odd choice to accompany aGhost of Tsushima-inspired entrance, but the band is also inextricably tied with gaming and anime culture, having risen to stardom during a time when shows likeDragon Ball Z, Naruto, andGundamwere first making waves in North America. Linkin Park’s second album, Reanimation, even features a coverinspired byMobile Suit Gundam.
Regardless of how fans feel about the ring walk, Adesanya has cemented himself again as a true gaming fan. Beyond his memorable entrance, his casual use of gaming lingo—opting to say “clocked” rather than “finished” when talking about the two games in his post-fight interview—is a small but revealing detail. It’s also perfectly on-brand for Adesanya, an admitted PlayStation fan who once openly bashed Xbox to have been currently finishing up two of thebest PlayStation exclusives from 2020. Not only is Adesanya a real deal gamer, but his interview reveals he’s also an astonishingly loyal one as well.
MORE:Every Video Game Release Coming Soon For PS5 and PS4
