Israel Adesanya has branded controversial former kick-boxer Andrew Tate's marketing plan as "genius" after being inundated with his videos on social media.
Adesanya and Tate are former kick-boxing world champions, although they competed in different circuits before finding fame through different routes. The Nigerian opted to move to MMA, where he has become one of the biggest stars in the sport, while his American counterpart chose to find fame through TikTok, Twitter and Instagram.
They have both become millionaires - a rarity for those who pursue kick-boxing. And while Adesanya has more of a sensibility towards Jordan Peterson's less abrasive style, he admits that he was impressed by Tate's affiliate marketing scheme, which saw members of his 'Hustler's University' programme share clips of his rhetoric across TikTok without him ever making an account.
"I didn't know him when he was kick-boxing," Adesanya told Mirror Fighting ahead of his next world title defence against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 on Saturday night. "But there was a time maybe a few months ago, before he got 'cancelled' - you can't cancel anyone - when he just started to pop up on my Instagram and my Youtube and I was like, 'Who the f*** is this guy?'
"Then I was listening to guys like Andrew Schulz talk about the smart system he did. I'm paraphrasing, but he paid people to post or make pages about him and just flood the internet. If he created that marketing strategy, that's a genius way to get [out there] because he was on everybody's page. I never really followed his career as a kick-boxer, I don't know what he's doing now."
Tate, who himself had a very brief career on the regional MMA circuit in the UK during the late 2000s and early 2010s, has spent the last few weeks cosying up with a number of top MMA fighters. During a recent trip to Dubai, Tate was spotted training and spending time with UFC champions Leon Edwards and Aljimain Sterling, as well as top bantamweight Sean O'Malley.
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"I saw people were going at Funkmaster [Sterling] for that," Adesanya added. "I was like 'the f***? You can't hang out with someone?' If he shows me respect I'll show him respect. I've never met him, I have nothing with him. Some of his message I can understand people didn't like, but I've heard some of it.
"I like Jordan Peterson, he gets the same message across without the bravado. I like bravado, I like the style but I feel Jordan Peterson gets it across in a different way to Andrew Tate."
Adesanya's kick-boxing career has been a key point of discussion around this weekend's fight, having fought and lost to Pereira twice before moving to MMA. There was controversy over their first decision, but Pereira made no mistake when he brutally knocked out his rival in their rematch.
