Israel Adesanya Waiting For His Opponent After The Bell Is The Coldest Thing In Combat Sports

Israel Adesanya has done a lot of badass things in his stunning combat career, but we reckon waiting for his opponent after the bell is right up there.

Years before he become a sensation in UFC, 'The Last Stylebender' was an exceptional kickboxer who was 32-0 as an amateur and then 75-5 - with 48 KOs.

Whether it's the octagon or the squared circle, the UFC middleweight champion means business whenever he's in battle and rare footage has emerged of his antics in a fight many years back.

Normally in boxing or MMA, fighters will head back to a stool for water, a chat with coaches and a process of recovery after the bell has tolled.

But on this particular occasion, Adesanya did none of those things. While his opponent did, the Nigerian-New Zealander stood in the middle of the ring with his hands behind his back and waited for the signal that the next round had begun.

Cold, calm and calculated, he would go on to secure a knockout victory in the bout. And fans loved the "gangster" approach from Adesanya.

After Adesanya suffered the first MMA defeat of his career when he unsuccessfully challenged for Jan Blachowicz's light heavyweight title, reports say UFC are now targeting he and Marvin Vettori for the middleweight strap on June 12 at UFC 263.

Robert Whittaker was the initial preferred opponent but a second bout between the pair is reportedly too quick a turnaround after the former's win over Kelvin Gastelum last week.