Israel Adesanya has hit back at Chris Pratt and other Hollywood stars who criticise his UFC performances after yet another middleweight title defence.
The Nigerian-born New Zealand fighter defended his world title for the fifth time earlier this month at UFC 276 in a dominant win over top contender Jared Cannonier. But Pratt was among a number of vocal critics - which also included former champion Michael Bisping - who were openly disappointed with yet another points victory for Adesanya.
He has won all but one of his defences by decision since unifying his interim belt with Robert Whittaker's one to become undisputed champion. His failed effort to become light-heavyweight champion also went the distance in another lacklustre bout, which has led to some feeling the kickboxer is not a fan-friendly fighter.
One of those was Pratt, who believed that he didn't deliver on some big trash talking with his performance, despite his overall dominance. But Adesanya argues that there is no pleasing his critics, insisting that one other major star was unhappy with his antics after viciously stopping Paolo Costa in 2020.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Adesanya said: "When I f***ed up Costa, I got criticised by another actor. I f***ed up Costa, but yet again, he criticised me.
"'Great athlete, s*** human' or whatever he said, I can't remember. I'm not doing this for anyone, you can't make anyone happy. It's not even the s*** like, again, they'd never say this to my face."
Adesanya believes that the likes of Pratt, who stars in the Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises, are just playing tough guys on screen. While he understands that the criticism can sometimes be justified, he believes they should keep their opinions away from the media, where they can be used as further fuel against him.
"These are people who play-act as heroes," he continued. "They act as tough guys. I'm not an actor, I don't act; I am. There's a big difference.
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"I think it's because it was public as well. I don't care if you have the opinion. Okay cool, keep it to yourself, keep it among your friends. But when you come out publicly to say that it's like yo, you want smoke? You want fire?"
Pratt, to his credit, apologised to Adesanya for his comments, which included indicating that he wasn't a fan of the fighter. After the middleweight champion shared a clip from one of his films where he was hit over the head with a keyboard, Pratt took to social media to set the record straight.
"You’re right," he wrote in a response on Twitter. "I’m sorry brutha [sic]. It bugs me when people criticise my work - having never themselves risked anything. It makes me a hypocrite to do exactly that to you. My bad. Keep on keeping on champ."
