The Undertaker Responds To Israel Adesanya’s UFC 276 'Deadman' Entrance
What The Undertaker thought of UFC star Israel Adesanya borrowing his iconic ring entrance.
UFC headliner Israel Adesanya paid tribute to WWE legend The Undertaker this weekend, borrowing the wrestling veteran's iconic ring entrance for his fight with Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on Saturday (2 July).
Adesanya went all in on the 'Taker-isms. Borrowing the gong, purple lighting, urn, hat, and a version of Undertaker's entrance theme, he evoked 'The Deadman' before WWE officials Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Nick Khan, all of whom were in attendance.
Combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani reached out for The Undertaker's thoughts on Adesanya's entrance after the event. In short, 'Taker loved it, calling the 32-year-old an "awesome entertainer":-
I asked @undertaker what he thought of @stylebender’s walkout:
“I thought it was great! He’s not only a great fighter, he’s an awesome entertainer as well! Tyson Fury gets knocked down & sits up like the UT and Adesanya uses my walkout! Pretty damn cool!”pic.twitter.com/a0tGCZ0DyK
Advertisement— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 3, 2022
Adesanya defeated Cannonier via unanimous decision in the UFC 276 main event. This was his fifth successful defence of the UFC Middleweight Championship since taking it from Robert Whittaker in October 2019, having previously reigned as interim champion, and brought his overall record in MMA to 23-1.
Undertaker, meanwhile, has been inactive in professional wrestling since retiring via formal ceremony at Survivor Series 2020. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as the headliner in this year's ceremony back in April.