Israel Adesanya admits dying during UFC fight would have been a “glorious death”

Manchester United manager: Speculation around job in 2021

Belal Muhammad wants to dethrone UFC champion Kamaru Usman

Five players whose Man Utd careers ten Hag can revive

Key dates from new Championship season as fixtures released

Dettori admits he couldn't speak English when he came to UK aged 14

Serena Williams: 'Felt good' to be back on court

Who could replace Lukaku at Chelsea?

Israel Adesanya was prepared to die during the final round his UFC 236 victory over Kelvin Gastelum in 2019.

Adesanya has become one of the most prominent names in the sport, and has recently signed a lucrative new UFC deal making him the second-highest paid fighter in the UFC. 'Style Bender' is the reigning middleweight champion and has made four consecutive defences of his crown since beating Robert Whittaker to claim the title.

The Nigerian star previously defeated Gastelum during a brutal war to set up his eventual title challenge against Whittaker later that year. Both Adesanya and Whittaker gave everything in the octagon during the fifth and final stanza which turned into a firefight until the final bell. Adesanya has now claimed he had consigned himself to a "glorious death" in the octagon when planning to make history.

"If I am prepared to die I am prepared to kill but I really meant that it in that moment," Adesanya said during an episode of What Went Down with BT Sport. "I signed my life away I was like 'this is it, if this is how I die what a glorious death and what a way to go out'. In front of the whole world in a crazy battle and I had some negative self-talk in that fight that I overcame.

"My head was like 'you have done enough now, you have hit him with the spinning back elbow, you have dropped him, it is okay you can