Israel Adesanya is ‘the Muhammad Ali of the MMA world’ says WWE legend Booker T

UFC star Israel Adesanya is ‘the Muhammad Ali of the MMA world’ according to WWE legend and Hall of Famer Booker T.

The Last Stylebender, 32, successfully defended his middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Aussie rival Robert Whittaker in their highly-anticipated rematch in the main event of UFC 271 last weekend.

In a press conference after his win in the octagon, the UFC middleweight champion spotted Booker T lurking in the background, which was captured by the UFC’s official YouTube channel.

Understandably Nigerian-born Adesanya was completely taken aback before he quickly gathered his composure and revealed he was a big fan of the American pro wrestler growing up in New Zealand.

And now King Booker – real name Booker T Huffman Jr – has responded in kind with a compliment of his own as he insisted he is a natural born entertainer.

Huffman Jr told MMA Fighting: “For Izzy to actually pay respect to Booker T, it just lets me know how I made him feel as a young kid growing up, hopefully one day to inspire just like I did.

“You could tell he was a fan though, you could tell he loves, I wouldn’t just say what I did for him, but the game of professional wrestling, entertainment.”

He then likened him to ‘The Greatest’ Ali, a man widely regarded as the greatest boxer to grace the sport in the 21 years he spent in the ring.

Huffman added: “He’s a performer, he’s the Muhammad Ali of the MMA world and I tell you, he’s a generational talent, and they only come along few and far between.

“You know, Adesanya, he’s probably my favourite fighter right now, just because he is the most dynamic, he’s the guy that you just want to lay eyes on no matter where he’s at or who he’s fighting.”

Booker T revealed he is