NRL stars channel their inner Israel Adesanya by copying his iconic celebration

Israel Adesnaya's global impact has made its way Down Under with a bunch of big-name NRL stars copying his iconic celebration.

After KO'ing former middleweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 287, Adesanya did something that will be remembered for years to come.

With Pereira unconscious on the canvas, Adesnaya stood over his limp body and fired three imaginary arrows into his rival.

The move mimicked Pereira's walk-out, where he fires an arrow towards the octagon before roaring into the camera.

For Adesanya to do that, it served as one of the coldest celebrations in UFC history.

Now others are copying it, including a few athletes plying their trade in the NRL.

Last week, in the wake of Izzy's title recapture, Gold Coast Titans star Phillip Sami bull-dozered over the line to score against the St George Dragons.

After grounding the ball, Sami rose to his feet and gestured to shoot an arrow into the ground.

With the game being played on Sunday afternoon Australian time, Sami would have only just seen Adesanya pull off the celebration a few hours prior, but knew he wanted to implement it himself.

The following week, it was Brian To'o's turn to give the celebration a hit out.

In the build up to the Penrith Panthers' game against the Newcastle Knights, the team did a captains run and To'o gave fans a teaser of what's to come by pulling out the celebration there.

When the Panthers posted the clip to Instagram, one person said: "Bizza always camera ready."

While another added: "Bizza either hitting the Cupid or Adesanya celly."

And when it came to game time, To'o ensured he got on the score before celebrating in the corner in style – just like Nigerian-born New Zealander Adesanya.

It just goes to show how adored UFC middleweight champion Adesanya is.

It also goes to show how legendary that celebration has become in such a short space of time.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/penrithpanthers/Twitter/BT Sport/Fox League

Topics: NRL, Rugby League, UFC, MMA, Israel Adesanya

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry