Chael Sonnen, a prominent MMA figure, has praised Israel Adesanya for his recent display of theatrics, revealing that he believes Adesanya has taken on a “heel” persona. After winning the title at UFC 287, Adesanya squared off against opponent Alex Pereira backstage in a move that Sonnen appreciated as “condescending”.

Adesanya then threw arrows over Pereira’s unconscious body and imitated the Brazilian’s son, an act that Sonnen found “beautiful”. Sonnen believes that Adesanya’s decision to turn “heel” is significant. He pointed out that Adesanya refused to engage in an MMA trilogy fight against Pereira and instead chose to focus on South African contender Dricus Du Plessis.

Sonnen feels that the rivalry between Adesanya and Pereira has been reframed by this development. He pointed out that people who complain but offer no suggestions are not helpful. In this case, Adesanya has created a new conversation that could lead to new rivalries and fights.

Sonnen conceded that it would make sense for Adesanya to fight Pereira if he stayed in the middleweight division. However, if Pereira leaves, the focus could shift to other fighters like Du Plessis.

Sonnen believes that Pereira going to the light heavyweight division could be beneficial for him since it worked for Sonnen in the past. Ultimately, Sonnen believes that Adesanya has a gift for self-promotion, similar to his own, which helped to propel him to stardom in his heyday.